Rising From The Ashes
by Foolsgold Fenrir
Summary: When tragedy strikes on Christmas Eve, Lisa and Lana are left estranged from their family and have to depend on each other to get through the adventure ahead known as life. Together they'll do whatever it takes to survive. Find out what curiosities and horrors these two will face.
1. A Bad Start

**_(A/N): Hey everyone! So this is a story that my good friend Takaluca and I have been discussing for some time now, developing the general plot and the events and such. It's only now that we've started writing it though, and it's a more serious story than the usual stuff here. I guess it could be a darkfic considering its bleakness? But do not worry, we will be back soon with another update. This here is just the beginning of the tale. And yes this is a collab._**

* * *

Ah, Christmas Eve. A day full of joy and wonder, and a perfect day to have a good day spending time with family. Decorations, presents, hot chocolate, winter games, Christmas specials, and all the joy you could ever imagine.

"Ugh...Sister unit, while I remain questioning the reasons you've requested me to follow you to this white wasteland of a hill, could you at least aid me carrying this way bigger than average tire up, considering your superior strength?" A 10 year old Lisa asked, as she, wearing her dark green coat, ski eye protectors, white gloves, green hat, and everything needed to stay warm, climbed a hill near the ends of the small town of Royal Woods, pushing a giant truck tire using only a single rope.

"It's not a wasteland, Lisa, it's a _wonder_land! Just look at all this snow everywhere, you can almost get lost in it." A 12 year old Lana replied as she trudged up the hill in similarly heavy winter attire, being yellow pants and a coat, dark blue snow boots and a pair of green and blue earmuffs over her red cap. She quickly took to Lisa's side and grabbed the rope, helping her pull it up. "I mean, I think you can use a good workout like Lynn always says, but I get it, it's Christmas and all."

After many paces upward, they reached the top of the hill. One had to admit, it provided quite a view. Snowy winds whirled around, searing their exposed faces while also trying and failing to bite through their winter gear. Dead trees and evergreens alike stood prevalently in the harsh weather.

"Well, despite my suspicions of both of us being lost in this glacier after your second to last comment, I must admit the view is quite delightful with the proper weather." Lisa stated. "I'm still wondering the usage of this heavy object, though."

"You ever hear about tire sledding, Lisa? Or tube sledding, I guess, but none of that soft cushiony crap for babies. This here is all you need for a good time." Lana said, beaming proudly over the tire.

"So...your conception of fun is risking your life in a irresponsible way in order to boost adrenaline concentration on your synapses, creating a feeling of fright mixed with excitement and joy?" Lisa asked

"Yeah, you just described it perfectly! Now hop on." Lana did just that and patted the space of the tire behind her.

"...you don't have me convinced that the lack of safety measures is a risk worth taking for a few seconds of so called 'fun'." She clarified.

"Lisa, Lisa, Lisa. You still have a lot to learn, so lemme just show you. You can hold onto me if you don't want to grab the sides." She gave a calm, reassuring smile to the younger girl, or at least as best as she could manage through her giddiness.

"_Sigh_, you're lucky my senses are being largely affected by the lack of heat in this area. Otherwise, I wouldn't even approach such a dangerous machination." Lisa mumbled, as she went towards the tire behind Lana, hugging her in the region of the stomach. "I'm prepared to face whatever consequences of this ignorant action are bond to fall over us."

"That's the spirit! Now let's go!" Lana dug her heels into the soft snowy earth and with a single mighty heave she managed to send the tire sliding rapidly down the hill. The already strong winds from before now hit at full force, nearly knocking them off as they both held on for their lives.

Lana turned her head towards Lisa with her tongue hanging out like a dog in a car. "Isn't this fun?!" She asked loudly and excitedly.

"AHHHHH!" Lisa screamed as an answer.

Their acceleration increased by each second, and Lisa somehow calculated it in her head. Around 250 inches per second squared, disregarding air resistance. When they hit the bottom of the hill, the tire made a sudden halt, sending the two girls flying off face first into the snow. And the two of them, who were already screaming, Lana in excitement, and Lisa in fright, continued with their voices until they've hit the snow.

Lisa was breathing heavily. "Ah...ah...Did we...did we just accomplish...we just rode this whole hill down without any major injuries?"

Lana picked herself off the ground and licked the snow off her face before shaking the rest of it off. "Yeah, we did! See Lisa, I told you this was fun and that you'd be okay and that notepad of yours detailing our possible deaths and wills for the rest of the family wasn't needed." She pointed to a little yellow notepad sticking out of Lisa's coat pocket.

"I'd rather be aware of our chances of not successful slides, elder sibling. As you are aware, the 95% of me that assumes the condition of a mature adult scientific researcher, I must consider all factors and outcomes to precise favorable situations." Lisa explained.

"Okay. Ignoring all of your nerdiness, what's the other five percent?"

"Oh, that's the art of my respective to my interior ten year old average girl."

"And what would a 10 year old say?"

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Lisa exclaimed in excitement. "LET'S DO IT AGAIN!"

"YES! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Lana grabbed her in a hug and playfully gave her a noogie, though most of the pressure was absorbed by Lisa's snow cap.

They went up and down with that tire many times. Sure, the time they took to go up was many times longer than the sliding part, but the fun was worth it. Every single time the tire sent them flying right into the snow, the laughed afterwards, and repeated the process. They had fun until the skies grew dark and their bodies grew cold and tired. And of course, hungry.

"I dunno about you, Lis, but I'm beat. We should get going before the others get worried." Lana said, panting heavily and holding the rope with the tire laying behind her.

"Yes, I assume it's the most expected and wise procedure to follow." Lisa said, also breathing heavily. "As we walk towards our lair, though, would you mind if I ask you a couple questions, not counting the one I do now?"

"Heh, lair. I like how you say it like we're heading to a monster's den or something. But sure, go ahead."

"First, where did you actually acquire this tire that we slid the hill on multiple times? That actually peaked my curiosity."

"From the truck of some guy who wanted to clear the woods, which by the way are home to lots of important animals, for a mall of all things." Lana answered nonchalantly while they started walking back.

"So...you stole this for the sake of protecting the environment?"

"Pretty much. Hopps helped me loosen it out too."

"Interesting. In the way Royal Woods has expanded in its urban factor, its nature factor, once so prosperous, shows its lack of action in certain areas. Despite your action being condemned by the law, perhaps your cause has more worth than any groupement of stores and parking lots."

"Yeah, well they can condemn my ass all they want." Lana said crudely. "And I'm glad we see eye to eye on things like this, even if we often don't on some other things. I just wish the human race as a whole took better care of the environment." She added in with a more serious tone.

"Despite our necessities to explore nature, we do have a path to advance to find stability with it." Lisa agreed. "And what you mentioned about often not doing the same things...that brings me to my second question, what made you invite solely and specifically me to this activity, over any of our other siblings?"

"Well most of them are doing their own thing, and we barely ever spend any time together anyway. When's the last time we actually did something together, just the two of us? Other than the tutoring sessions, I mean."

"Hmm...you do present a fair point. Our schedules, obligations and hobbies differ in a way our time spent together is minimal. Is this an attempt to expand it, I assume?"

"Yup. Plus, it's Christmas Eve and all so it's the perfect time to do so, right? I know how much you like terrorizing us with snowball fights."

"Despite the challenge not being as interesting due to the lack of abilities and equipment by my opponent, it is, indeed, an activity I appreciate doing. Perhaps the winter is the season most fit for me when it comes to non-scientific related actions."

"Yeah, see? I know even a little grumpy-puss like you can have fun." Lana lightly jabbed Lisa's shoulder and gave a little laugh.

"What have you just called me?" Lisa asked, a bit offended.

"A grumpy-puss, y'know, 'cause you're always grumpy and cranky 'n stuff."

"Says the so called 'animal lover'." Lisa said, doing air quotes. "Is there anything you hide when you're alone in your bedroom, sibling?"

"Ay-ay-ay, don't go there! I'm not a damn beasty thot and you know it. I beat up beasty thots for a living." Lana retorted, crossing her arms and holding her head high.

"Where did you even discover such terms?" Lisa asked.

"I just don't like saying the actual word, so I made up something that's easier to say without throwing up in my mouth as much. And isn't it nerds like you that make those scientific words anyway?"

"We don't 'make them'. Every letter, radical and formation is thought in a way to have a meaning understandable for all of those aware of its existence, even if sometimes we use Latin, such as in speciation, and Greek terms."

"Yeah yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Little Miss still-sleeps-with-a-stuffed-fox-at -night." Though oddly enough, Lisa's explanation on how scientific terms are created was quite interesting, despite the circumstances of being insulted.

"No I don't!" Lisa exclaimed. "That toy is not mine, and it's in my room for the sole reason of…" Lisa stop and sniffed the air a bit. "Do you...sense something...burning?"

Lana was about to make a snide remark about her sister's obvious lie when the scent hit her nose as well. She took a few sniffs in the air as well. "I do, and it smells weird… like not the same as Dad's cooking, it's way stronger." The closer they got, the heavier the smell got and so did the realization of what the smell was. They saw a strong light, stronger than most Christians lights around all the houses. A burst of mixed tones of orange, yellow and red emerge towards the sky.

They discovered that 1216 of Franklin Avenue was being consumed by flames.

Lisa and Lana were rendered speechless at the sight. They had both seen some crazy things in their short time on the planet, but never had they ever expected to witness their street, their _house _\- on fire. What could they even say about what they were seeing? Instead, they just stood their, frozen in place and staring ahead like a deer in headlights, their jaws agape.

All they could hear was the flames, and some expressions of screams coming from the inside. Before they had the time to react and do something, they heard an alarm by their right. Someone had called the firefighters to put out the fire. One of them even took the two further away from their home, to avoid the risk and danger of it. And even then they couldn't even utter a word or protest, their eyes fixed on the raging flames that engulfed the place once known as home.

"You two. Do you know the ones that live in that house?" The fireman that brought them away asked.

"Yes…" Lisa said, quietly. "Our family lives in there. And they were probably all inside…"

"W-what… happened?" Lana whimpered.

"We just arrived, little girl. We'll work hard on putting down the fire, and later we'll see what happened. In the meantime, just stay here where it's safe." He said, as he turned back to help his coworkers to put out the fire.

The burning sound, with a small hint of screaming here and there, terrorized the two girls. And they were powerless to do anything other than to just watch their home slowly be consumed. They would give anything now to be able to go in there and get their siblings, parents and pets out of there, but knew full well that would be pointless and most likely result in their own deaths, not helping anyone in the long run.

Despite the firefighters best efforts, it was stupid to assume the House wasn't heavily damaged. All that remained was dust and small portions of wall. They saw ambulances arriving, going inside the debris, and they saw bodies being dragged out. They couldn't see clearly, as the place was surrounded by firefighters, nurses, a tv news report and the neighbors around. Nobody took notice of them after the fire started.

They were left on the sidelines where the smell was still strong but not as invasive, slightly freshened by the wind. The sight itself could very well be considered an oxymoron with the snow contrasting with the hellish inferno, a horrible tragedy on what was supposed to be a blissful day.

"Lisa...wasn't the snow supposed to not let this fire happen or something?"

"Despite the temperature and humidity the area presents… it's not enough to stop such fire, even if it's able to prevent it from starting outside… The sources must have been from the house's interior… and spreader enough so that when the main structure collapsed...it wasn't able to stop it…"

"O-oh… how could this have even happened? Everything seemed perfectly fine when we left… a-and now look at it." Lana fell to her knees, shedding a few tears but quickly wiping them away and standing back up in an effort to appear strong. She couldn't show weakness to her little sister, not now. Especially since there was no guarantee that anyone else would still survive the fire. She took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down, though it didn't help much at all.

"S-so many possibilities that could have gone wrong during our absence...an old and poorly repaired structure...mainly consisted of wood...i-it's an ideal scenario if the temperature was higher...but regardless...o-our habitation… I-it's a-all g-gone... _sniff_...r-reduced to nothing b-but d-dust a-and a-ashes…" Lisa said, taking a couple steps forward, and sobbing.

The ball-capped girl followed a few steps behind. "I-I can't believe it… this house survived a possible tornado years ago, and that's when I thought…" An uncharacteristically high-pitched sob escaped her throat. "When I thought we'd never lose our home." She covered her eyes with one hand and let out a few more soft sobs.

Lisa couldn't hold any longer when Lana broke. Both of them started crying, the younger nerd wrapping her arms alongside the tomboy's body, and the two basically screamed uncontrollably, like a baby does basically anywhere. The difference being, in this instance, they had a very good reason to be desperately sad. They stayed there doing that until they could no longer find it in them to yowl and scream obscenities at the heavens for cursing them in such a way and they just sniffled and sobbed quietly.

They lost track of time. By the time they had fallen asleep right there, in the middle of the snowy street, exhausted by so much cryin for what felt like years, collapsing on the floor, still clutching each other tightly, they were woken up by an unfamiliar voice.

"Excuse me, you two." A guy dressed in a police uniform properly adapted for the winter. "Would you mind following me?"

"W-what?" Lisa babbled. "W-who a-are you?"

"I'm officer Owens." He told the two. "One of the firefighters said that you two lived in the house that was on fire. Is that right?"

The two slowly blinked their eyes open, squinting at the person who they assumed to be the source of the voice.

"Mhm." Lana murmured and nodded her head sadly.

"Please come into my car. We'll take you to the police station, and later a place you can stay for the night." He assured.

The two girls slowly got up and followed the officer. He opened the back seat of the car and they walked in, like they were some sort of criminal being arrested for murder or burglary. He closed the door, and went inside the driver's seat.

"Officer…" Lisa asked. "W-what are the casualties of this...accident, if we can call it that?"

"I'm not exactly sure, little one. Everyone found in the house was taken to the hospital. And I'm sure they'll do everything so your family will be alright."

"I hope so…" Lana said, staring out the window as they drove by. She would cry some more, but just didn't have it in her at that point. Her ruddy complexion was stained with tears and a little bit of snot. She looked to her side, where Lisa was staring at the floor of the car. She couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking.

"And the source of the fire? Is there any clue?" Lisa asked.

"Investigations are ongoing, but we have no confirmation. Our best shot is that it started in the oven, but we can't precise for sure."

"So you're saying someone left the oven on too long or something?" Lana asked. Usually whenever they left the house, Rita and Lynn Sr. would always ask someone to run back inside to make sure the oven or stove was off before leaving. But weren't they inside when it happened, judging by how many (not yet confirmed) bodies they saw being taken out of there? How would any of them let something like that go?

"Like I said, it's not confirmed. I'll be honest, it's more of a guess than anything. We didn't have a lot of time to investigate."

The two girls remained silent. Lana faced Lisa, who faced the floor, who couldn't face anyone because it doesn't have eyes. But regardless, the two girls were kind of dazed by their views, especially given the situation.

"Hey Lis… are you okay?"

"What exactly do you think?" Lisa asked, a bit annoyed.

Lana sighed, knowing that any attempt to lighten the mood would prove to be futile. Instead, she just remained silent, and stared through the window for the remainder of the trip. It was a relatively short trip, but for the two girls, what felt like hours was just in its beginning.


	2. Through the Fire and Flames

The two young girls have arrived in front of the police station. Their bodies were shivering with the cold of a winter night, even with all of their clothes. They walked inside. Just what you'd expect. Large room, chairs, people in officers, couple cups of coffee here and there, and definitely warmer than outside space.

"Stay right here. Soon someone will be here to talk with you." Officer Owens said, as he walked away. Where he went, the girls didn't know.

"Y'know, I always knew that I would end up here someday, but I thought it would be for stealing the Declaration of Independence or something, not because of a house fire on Christmas Eve." Lana mused once the police officer was out of earshot.

"You really made such a low level joke in the situation we currently are in?" Lisa asked, a bit annoyed. "We've lost all of our property, we aren't aware of what is of our family members, and you still make horrible references to Nicolas Cage?"

"Who said I was joking?" Lana asked, genuinely confused. "And what reference?"

"You really...you're unbelievable, elder sibling. In a way I cannot express in words you'd comprehend."

"Maybe not now, but when I become an adult and start drinking…"

"...I refuse to speak to you until you seem to properly understand the gravity of this situation."

Lana huffed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I do, I was just saying what was on my mind. In all seriousness though… I don't know how things are gonna be now. I hope the rest of the family is okay."

"I share such hopes, which unfortunately do not match my beliefs." Lisa explained. "I hate to imagine this, but analyzing the incendiary conditions of our household, unless someone was outside the house, the chances of escaping with life from it are minimal."

"I know, life's not fair and often it likes to screw you out of any shred of happiness you might have at the time, but we don't know for sure. We did see some people getting taken to the back of an ambulance, so maybe some of them are still alive in a hospital." Lana took off her cap and sighed, then gave Lisa a pleading, hopeful glance. "Maybe they could help us figure out what'll happen next."

"If you think of it, you can already predict what will happen, Lana. It is all a matter of how much you want to see reality, and how much you can tolerate it."

"Still, we should at least try to hold onto what little hope there might be. Even if it's… really difficult, given what just happened."

"Pandora's box logic, I see." Lisa commented.

"Yeah, that. There was still some hope in that box, and according to that story that's why life doesn't seem too crappy in the long run."

"It's the main moral of its tale. According to the myth, the evils the Gods of Olympus once locked inside such box, were freed by Pandora towards the world of mortals, but deep inside hope rested, and freed as well, so we had a chance to fight the evils."

"Pretty much. So, if we can have an excuse to have hope and faith that at least one other person survived, why not take that chance for now?"

"Just because hope it's the last one to die, doesn't mean it is immortal."

"I know that, but it's still the one thing that can keep us going. Hope that things will turn out okay, even if it doesn't seem that way. And besides…" Lana reached out in an attempt to give Lisa a hug. "We've still got each other, don't we?"

"I...assume so." Lisa said, retributing the act. It helped them warm up a little bit, but not much more. They quickly broke off the hug and continued to sit there waiting.

After a few minutes, a different officer came to talk to the two. His moustache and beard made him look a bit intimidating. "Girls, we will take some time to get results on your case. So we're gonna take you to a place where you can sleep, and tomorrow we'll explain what we can find."

"Where are you gonna take us?" Lana questioned, putting her cap back on.

"It's a sort of prison cell, adapted for people that have to stay at night. Small room, a bunk bed, a bathroom… you'll have some privacy, but it's no hotel."

"So you're locking two minors in a cell who have just been victims of a tragedy?" Lisa questioned.

"Look smarty pants, this is a police department, not a hotel. Is either that or the ground out here. Your choice." He said, annoyed.

"C'mon Lisa, this is all we have for now." Lana told her sister. She then turned and tapped the officer's soldier, shuffling her feet and a bit unsure. "Uhh… so how much privacy _is _there, anyway?"

"You have four walls, and a door separating your beds from the bathroom." He said. "Now please, follow me."

"Alright, works for me." She followed the officer and her younger sister as he led them to the aforementioned cell. She hoped the walls weren't too thin, though that was the very least of her worries.

When they arrived at the door which the officer opened, and the two walked in, he immediately closed it, making a loud noise, making the two girls jump a bit. Despite the privacy thing being true, they had four walls, and a door that probably led to a bathroom, he never mentioned how tight the space was. You had the length of the door, and the bed on the side, covering the whole rightwall, and barely touching the door frame.

"This bedroom must not even reach 5 squared meters." Lisa said.

"I dunno, Lis, I think it's kinda cozy. Should be enough for tonight, right?" Lana responded, immediately flopping onto her bed. It was definitely harder than the one she was so used to sleeping in her own bedroom, in her own home… it was more like the carpet that she sometimes decided to sleep on instead during sleepovers.

"Your positivity impresses me sibling… just like your reflexes to pick the bottom bed…" Lisa said.

"The bottom bunk is always the best."

"I'd assume so...but I never had the chance to experiment and conclude such thing."

"That's how it's been whenever I went to Michelle's house for a sleepover. She's got a bunk bed even though she's an only child, and I always got the bottom bunk."

"I assume the top one is mine then." Lisa concluded as she began climbing the stairs.

"So, what are we doing now?"

"Other than complaining about the small vertical height I posses, I'm not sure if there's anything we should be doing other than attempting to get some sleep."

"Uhh alright, I guess I'll head off too, after a trip to the little girl's room. I'll be back." Lana hopped out of the bed and opened a small door in the wall that led to the bathroom, closing it behind her.

"Just to let you know, researchers have pointed out that 70 percent of American prisons and police station don't keep their hygiene equipment in cells properly repaired."

"I don't need any hygiene equipment, Lisa." She called out from the other side.

"What I meant to say there's a high chance that the toilet doesn't work." Lisa explained.

"I don't need that either, Lisa. I'll be fine."

"Then what exactly are you going to do there? Urinate on the floor?"

Lana went silent for a few seconds. "No."

"Did you already urinate on the floor?"

"Nobody peed on the floor, Lisa. I dunno why you keep thinking about piss on the floor."

"Because it's a better distraction than thinking of the odds of our family's survival, regardless of how disgusting it may sound."

"Ugh… great, now I can't do what I came here to do after all." Lana opened the door and went back to her bed, pulling the flimsy covers over her clothes. "Goodnight, Lisa." She grumbled.

"Okay, goodnight." Lisa said, pulling the covers over her. "Just in case you need to wake me up, try not to surprise me, so I don't bump my head in the ceiling."

"If you want, we can switch beds." Lana offered.

"Not necessary. I just want to not be bruscally awoken, if that's possible. Otherwise, I am able to remain here."

"Well, I dunno how they wake people up here, but I do know you don't exactly like it here, so… might as well get as comfortable as possible, right?"

"Correct. Well, I'll attempt to sleep, that will cause this night to proceed faster."

"Alright, I should get some sleep too. If you wanna switch later, you can. G'night." The ball-capped girl turned over to her side and shifted her weight to sleep on her stomach and her hat fell off her head. She was too worn out to fix it.

Lisa just remained with her back on the mattress, with her glasses on her face, as she had no place to keep it laid out safely. And soon, the two girls began snoring under the dark, cold night in which their eyes have witnessed a tragedy.

* * *

The next day, the two girls were woken up by a heavy knocking on the door, which caused Lisa to bump her head on the ceiling, and Lana quickly got up from the ground she was laying on for some mysterious reason.

"You two, wake up." Was all they heard before silence came outside. They went towards the door, trying to open it, but it was locked.

"We require it to be open from the other side!" Lisa exclaimed. "And fast, if possible. This room is starting to create a claustrophobic feeling for me higher than inside our male sibling's former bedroom."

They heard a click and the door was pushed open. The police officer said nothing and instead gestured them to follow him, which they did. They were soon back in the front room where they were the night before.

"Uh, Officer, what exactly is going to happen to us now-"

"Sit down and wait here. Soon someone will come to you." He said, as he began to walk away.

"Roughness and apparently primal ignorance. Such qualities to serve for the security of civilians." Lisa ironically said.

"Ehh, he probably gets it from dealing with criminals all the time. I can only imagine all the stuff he probably has to put up with everyday."

"I guess you do have a point." Lisa said, sighing. "I hope they have more information than yesterday. It would help to know more about the cause of the accident, and our family's conditions."

"Same here. Maybe if they're okay, we can see them again soon. Maybe even today."

"That's the plan." A third voice said. They turned around to see another cop. Seeing different people taking to them almost brought the feeling nobody wanted to be on their case. This time though the guy seemed quite gentle. "We'll be heading to the hospital to gather information on your family, and later transfer you to a proper habitation, so you won't have to stay here."

For the first time since the incident, Lana gave a genuine smile. It was faint and could easily go unnoticed, but it was there. "Hear that? Maybe they'll be okay." She said to her sister with a tinge of hope.

"We have no information on them. Just because we'll go to the hospital it doesn't mean… look Lana, I don't want to bring your hopes down, but there's a chance you'll be disappointed when we get there."

"Shall we go, girls? We don't have all day." The cop interrupted.

And just like that, the smile faded away. "Yeah, but it's not cert- alright, let's go." She didn't want to burn any daylight that they didn't need to, when it could be spent getting answers. As they walked to the car and hopped in, she continued her conversation. "Yeah, but it's not certain. Like I said yesterday, we should still have some hope if we can." It was mostly her trying to assure Lisa, though also to assure herself even if she wasn't entirely sure.

"Your positivism is appreciated." Lisa said, and after she mumbled, "_I really wish you are right. 'Cause otherwise you'll be devastated."_

The ride couldn't have been longer than half an hour, but with the stress that ate at them from the inside it felt like eons had passed before they finally arrived at the Royal Woods Hospital. It was obvious that the building had been around for many years, as shown by the worn-out and weathered look it gave off. It had to be at least a hundred years old. Okay, maybe not that old, but definitely it was there for a while.

"Awkward…" Lisa said, as they walked in. "This place seems… a bit unprepared and unequipped with the latest technological advances of medical care…"

"That's Royal Woods for ya." Lana said, following by Lisa's side. "I hope they've at least got enough to take care of… the others."

"You're starting to have a little too much hope on my standards…" Lisa muttered under her breath. She then turned to the officer with them. "So, where does our family remain?"

"I don't know. I'm going to ask. You two, just wait here." He said, as he made his way to the main counter.

"I have a feeling people believe our only usage is waiting." Lisa complained.

"It sucks, I know." Lana sighed, getting a bit impatient as well but still trying to stay positive.

"If only I had access to my equipment, perhaps the fire wouldn't have spread in such a way. Perhaps we wouldn't be worrying about our family in the first place if we haven't left to snow slide." They saw the cop besides a nurse, probably an assistant, which signed them to follow them.

"Hey, we still don't know what caused the fire and it was just a coincidence that we were outside when it happened." Lana said, as The two stood up and began following the lady, who walked quickly through the corridors of the hospital. "And even if we were home, we probably wouldn't have been able to do much. If anything, we'd probably be in here already, in those stiff beds."

"I presume such assumptions are plausible. Without certainty of events, we cannot precise the outcomes on different occurrences."

"And here we are, the emergency room." The assistant announced. They found themselves in a sterile white room with dimmed lighting, filled with numerous patients. Some seemed to face the same plight that the two girls' family members did, others didn't have it as bad, and of course some had it worse.

"The cop told me the details. I must give you my sorry. I've never seen this number of victims to a fire in only one family." The nurse said.

"Our family's extension is way over average, causing such situations like this to be possible." Lisa asked. "Uh, where specifically are they?"

"We couldn't fit them all in one room due to the sheer size of patients, unfortunately, so they've been split into two rooms. Luckily, the rooms are right next to each other." The nurse led them towards the rooms. "Alright, you two make the most of your time now. I need to tend to the other patients for now, but I'll be back soon." With that, the nurse left them on their own.

"Wait, Miss, one question." Lisa said, making the nurse turn back. "What is… what are their conditions, and most importantly, their time to recover?"

"Oh, well, obviously each and everyone of them have different injuries and expected healing time that can vary, and some...we aren't sure how well they'll behave to treatment, but we're working hard so that all eight are able to walk out of here by the middle of next ye-"

"Wait, eight?!" Lisa exclaimed. "What do you mean, eight?! There's supposed to be nine in there!"

"Yeah, what happened with the other three?!" Lana feared the worst, for the first time since yesterday.

"Hm?" The nurse said, grabbing a clipboard hanging besides one of the doors.

"There is supposed to be 13 of us in total, including my older sister and I." Lisa said. "And since we're the only ones outside the house, as long as we're aware, there should be eleven of us."

"Look, the list here says all patients. Let's see...Lynn, Lori, Leni, Luan, Lynn Jr, Lincoln, Lucy, and Lily. Those were all the patients we received here for treatment."

"That means that our mother, Luna and Lola are not here, but…" Lisa took a small pause. "Nurse, if they are not here, does that mean that…"

"If there were supposed to be three other people, then unfortunately, what you are implying may be the case." She was often considered by her colleagues to be quite blunt, even when she didn't try to be. It was no different with patients.

"S-so…" At this point, the tomboy could no longer keep up her hopeful demeanor. She had tried to reassure herself and her sister that things would be okay, but now with three people already gone, one of those being her twin… she couldn't keep it up. Her lip trembled as she uttered what she never thought she would have to say, not for a long time anyway. "Th-three of us are already g-gone." She stuttered.

"I assumed there would be casualties…" Lisa said to herself. "Lana, uh...I'm not sure what to say to you…"

"B-but already, and they outright admitted to forgetting some of us. Th-they didn't even bring them here. I know there's a lot of us, but how do you just _forget _to bring a person?"

"I have a theory. It's not that they weren't brought here...but rather to another sector of the hospital...The area where they prepare corpses for a funeral."

Lana tried to blink away the tears a bit to clear her watery vision, with little success, to glare at Lisa. Then again, it just wasn't worth it. She knew how she was, and she also knew she was right. There was no way they wouldn't be dead if they weren't in the rooms in front of them. Instead, she just looked away and said nothing.

"And that's assuming their bodies did actually return, and didn't...didn't combust completely, turning their bodies to ashes...carbonating their flesh...leaving no track of them…"

"Please stop…" Lana pleaded quietly under her breath. She tried to shake away the image of the three that were missing, in that situation, but to no avail.

"Oh my...I-I apologize, elder sibling...I-I didn't meant to...make this feel worse…" Lisa said, looking at her older sister, the one that, alongside Lynn of course, never broke, and was always strong, almost breaking in tears. And it was not like Lisa was not sad with the news, but rather that she was already preparing for losses. And as inexperienced and awkward she felt her next action was, she opened her arms and wrapped them around her sister.

Lana was caught off-guard by the action, though she did appreciate it. It helped calm her nerves a bit, enough for her to wipe her tears away with the back of her hand as best as she could. Some still watered in her eyes, but the majority were gone. After a moment, she returned the hug.

After a few moments, they noticed they've been left alone in the room. The nurse somehow went away without them noticing. They counted four beds in the room, the other four were probably on the one besides it. "So...should we...see how our other family members are doing?"

She nodded and went towards one of the beds. In it was Lynn Sr., bandaged up and with many wires hooked up. An oxygen mask was attached as well. The vitals next to him were active, but slow. His skin...it was ugly. Apart from the upper side of his head, is was all red, rough, like raw meat, with nerves, bubbles clearly visible.

"Oh my…" Lisa said. "This is beyond what I have expected… almost complete disfiguration… critical condition."

Lana gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. "D-dad…?" She croaked. She desperately wished he would reply, but at this point knew that wasn't going to happen. Not now.

"I...I simply have nothing to express here… I mean, he can live, but this damage...this is beyond anything I've ever seen."

"He… I don't even know what to say either. W-what are the others like?"

"Do you really wish to know, elder sibling?" Lisa asked. "Because, this vision… I can only imagine the conditions of the others...and I can guarantee you, it won't be any better."

"Shouldn't we still check on them, though? At least know who's in here and how they're doing?"

"Perhaps...but I doubt any of their situations will be any better…"

And soon the two got away from their father's bed, and into the one besides it. The body was unrecognizable. Lack of hair, practically no skin covering the body, leaving a pulsing inner layer of flesh exposed. Oxygen max, and arms completely covered by bandages.

"Any idea who this is Lis?" Lana asked. "Cause I can't tell."

"I-I can…" Lisa said. "Based in its body dimension...t-this is Lily…"

"O-oh…" To think that their baby sister, the most innocent of the bunch, could possibly be subjected to this level of pain, suffering and disfigurement… Not many people are 100 percent prepared for a situation like this to arise, but they definitely were not.

Lana wondered if this was all just some horrible, ongoing nightmare and that she would just wake up. That she could just wake up in her own cozy room, with her twin sleeping peacefully on the other side along with everyone else in the house. To test that, she pinched her arm, even digging her short yet sharp nails into the skin. Much to her dismay, she remained exactly where she was and in addition to that now had to deal with the stinging pain in her arm.

"Sibling…" Lisa said. "Would you excuse me for a minute? I require a trip to use the bathroom."

And with that, the nerd walked away from the bed and went into the door by the side of the room. Lana found that a little… unexpected to say the least. Her older sister instincts made her approach the door which was now close and probably locked. "Uh, Lis… what a-are you doing-"

"_BLAURGH!" _She heard from the other side. And that noise repeated still a couple more times, before it gave space to heavy breathing from the 10 year old girl. Even if she didn't have breakfast that day, the urge she got from seeing her only younger sister in such a state was too much to hold back.

"Lis… I know it's stupid of me to ask, but are you okay in there?"

"No…Ugh...BLAURR." Came from inside.

"A-alright, just let it out. You'll feel better afterwards." She stood there waiting by the door. It was taking quite a lot to hold her own feeling of bile going up her throat down, both from the sudden revelation of their three missing family members and what she saw earlier. One of those times where having a cast-iron stomach really came in handy.

A few minutes later, Lisa came out, looking like she was sick… which wasn't completely untrue. But she seemed relieved, even if the state of her body didn't agree with that. "I...I feel a bit better now."

"Alright, good. Do you want to go back, without seeing how they look?" Lisa seemed a bit disoriented, so Lana placed an arm over Lisa's arms and held her up.

"I'd honestly rather not… while our family is of my concern, seeing them in such a state is depressing, disturbing, disorienting and disgusting. I'd choose to see them once they're better."

"I understand. So, what do we do now? You wanna sit down somewhere 'til you feel a little better?"

"T-that's a good idea… l-let's return outside."

When they walked out of the room, Lana trying to make sure Lisa wouldn't fall down or something by helping her walk back outside, they stumbled across that same officer that has brought them there earlier.

"Girls, I see the visit was...not the best, it seems."

"You have no idea…" Lisa annoyingly said under her breath.

"Maybe is the best we return after your family has healed a bit. For now, I am responsible for taking you home."

"Home as in the police department?" Lana asked.

"No. We don't have a way to maintain you there, so you'll be taken care of by other family members."

"Other family members?" Both girls said. "But...we don't have any others." Lisa reminded. "Our grandfather has passed away a few years back, and the same happened to our Aunt by a rare disease...I don't think we have other family members alive."

"You do. Distant relatives. The closest of them actually live in a town besides Royal Woods, quote close to here. The Marltons, a couple and their two kids. They'll take care of you while your parents are in no condition for so."

"_Have you ever heard of them?"_ Lana whispered to Lisa.

"_I've no memories of such a name in our family tree."_ She said back.

"Well, according to the records we've been going through, they are in fact your relatives. It shouldn't be too long of a ride to their house. It's even easier since we don't have to move any props."

"You're saying that the fact all of our properties were consumed by fire is a good thing?" Lisa asked.

"Well, err, no, it's just easier to complete the move is all." The officer rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Let's just get going. Things will get better, I promise."

And with that, even a bit annoyed by that statement, the two girls followed the cop to his car. Weak, a bit sick, hungry and sad, Lana and Lisa Loud were now heading for a mysterious place that they would call home for some time they weren't sure how long. It was a long road ahead for their family to heal. All they wanted was there to be a shortcut. They both knew that there likely wasn't going to be one anytime soon. Not with the way things were looking as of now.


	3. Who's The One To Flame?

The trip for Lana and Lisa's new home was… long, to say the least. Disregarding the traffic they could eventually met, the distance of one city to another was not ignorable. And when they reached the city, they knew they were in for something different. A lot of buildings and skyscrapers, many people on the streets and sidewalks. A couple homeless people were wandering around hoping someone would feel pitiful of their existence under the cloudy and cold day that was Christmas. They had to admit they were actually surprised to see so many people out in such a date.

The mood of the two girls was slowly decreasing by every second they were in that place. They weren't the ones fit for something that looked so big. In Royal Woods, you had everything you needed, even if you have to search a lot at certain times, not so much pollution visible in the sky, and you'd knew a good percentage of the people around. That place made the two of them feel like strangers, in a place they couldn't withstand. If Lisa wasn't used to exposure on unusual chemicals, and Lana wasn't used to working with vehicles, they'd definitely spend most of the trip coughing out the smoke that came in alongside the oxygen in the air.

"Whoa, Lisa, would ya take a look at all this?" Lana gestured outside the window as they drove past countless buildings. "This reminds me of that trip we took to New York City last year… and then had to make a quick getaway after that trip went wrong."

"I assume it is similar…" Lisa agreed, quietly. "_Only we were all together for that."_

That last bit stung pretty hard, but she couldn't deny that it was true. "Yeah, good times…"

"Hopefully, the others receiving their treatment will soon be fully healed to retrieve us… despite the losses…"

Lana sighed deeply, remembering the ones that weren't even in that room due to circumstances she didn't even want to think about. "I hope so too. Maybe then things will start going back to normal, but I dunno."

"Girls, we have arrived." Their driver said, opening the door by Lana's side, even if neither of the girls even noticed the vehicle stopping nor the driver getting out. When they dropped out, still in the same clothes they were yesterday, and Lisa wishing she could take a shower, they observed what seemed to be their new lair. A simple house, two floors apparently. White walls, with a bit of the paint wearing off, and a couple windows on front, black roof. Plus an open garage with a silver-colored car parked inside it. Just your generic human habitation.

They were a bit hesitant, but they slowly made their way towards the new house, following their 'guide' to the front door, unsure who, or what, awaited them. After arriving on the steps, the driver knocked on the door a few times. At first, there was no answer. He rang the doorbell and knocked again. A few moments later, they heard shuffling steps and two voices that each shouted "Coming!"

The front door opened to reveal two boys. Probably brothers. One was probably in his last years of being a teenager, maybe 15 or 16 years old, while the other, shorter than the first one, was probably around Lisa's age, maybe one year older. Both had brown hair and were slightly chubby, and were wearing red and green homemade Christmas sweaters alongside some sweatpants. They looked as though they were in a hurry to get back to whatever they were doing. Which was understandable, seeing as it was currently Christmas Day.

"Who are you?" The older boy asked.

"Yeah, are you visitors or something?" The younger one added in.

Both of the girls were unsure what to reply. Thankfully, the officer responsible for them did his job of taking care of that part.

"Excuse me, boys. Is Mr. Marlton at home?" He asked.

"Ah, it's for dad again." The younger boy said, as he began walking away.

"Don't know why people come here instead of calling him." Said the older one, on a deep voice. "Dad! Someone's on the door."

"Ah! Give me a minute!" A rough voice came from inside. They heard some hard stomping going towards the door, and soon a man appeared.

He was probably in his fifties or sixties, but even then he had a cane. He had white hair, and his nose was very big. Wearing what seemed to be an old dark red sweater, and a pair of grey pants, he took some time to stare at each and every single one of the 3 people standing on his doorstep.

"H-hey there." Lana sheepishly greeted the man. "Is this where we're supposed to be?"

"Let me do the talking, kiddo." The officer said, making Lana feel a bit offended. "Sorry to bother you on this date, Mr Marlton, but as we communicated to you, these two will be staying with you temporarily."

The man rubbed his chin a bit, looking at the two girls like he was analyzing a painting in a museum. "Ah, yes, I can see. Please, you all, come in, come in. We have a lot to talk about."

The man turned around and walked inside. The officer followed right behind, and Lana and Lisa soon went with the flow, the latter closing the door behind them.

They walked into what seemed to be the living room. Nothing too fancy, actually, far from fancy. An old, stained couch, with a small wooden table with a glass center, a white, dirty carpet below it, and on the wall opposite to where they came in, a TV was hanging on the old brick walls that formed the place. The man sat down on the couch, and offered the place to the two girls, who accepted.

"Honey, who was at the door?" They heard a voice coming from some other room. Coming inside, they spotted a woman, apparently in her late thirties or early forties. Black straight long hair, a black pair of slippers, and a black dress a little bit too high on her knees. She had marker red lipstick, but other than that, she was free of makeup, and looked quite pretty.

"Oh, the kids have arrived." She said, sounding not very pleased, but not very bothered either. "Welcome to our home, sweeties. I'd love to talk to you two, but I have to finish something on the kitchen. I'll be back later." She said, as she walked away, leaving both girls a bit confused and annoyed.

"Don't mind her. She's like that most of the time." The old man said. "So, you two, what are your names?"

"Uhh, I'm Lana, and my little sister is Lisa." The ball-capped girl pointed her thumb at her. "We're from the Loud family."

"Pleasure to meet you two." The old man said. "I'm called Timothy Marlton. Originated from a small town in the south of the US, moved here after I had enough money."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr Marlton, disputes the circumstances." Lisa said.

"Forget that 'Mr Marlton' shit. Too formal for you kids. Just call me Timothy."

"Oh, okay. Nice to meet you too, Timothy." Lana said.

"Now that's better. Officer, is there anything I have to know before ya gotta go? I'm sure they told me everything about it yesterday on the phone."

"I...I don't think so." The Officer said. "If everything was told to you yesterday, then-"

"Then go enjoy Christmas or something." He said, Loki at the two girls. "I've got some things to set up. Will ya?"

Lana and Lisa looked at the ground for a second before exchanging glances and looking behind them. Behind them was a large Christmas tree with a few presents underneath. There was also a ton of torn-up wrapping paper littered around. They nodded and walked over there, still unsure of what exactly to do.

"I meant the officer, you two! I still have some stuff to talk to you." Timothy called them back, as the officer was leaving. He said to call him if anything happened to the man, and for the girls to be safe after leaving through the front door.

They stopped and walked back to him and took their seats again. "Sorry." They both apologized.

"Nah, forget that sorry shit. Ya minds must be boggling ya. I heard what happened. I give you two my sorry. Haven't seen an accident this tragic since Charlie blew the whole farm up only with a lantern. I'll miss that lil' bastard."

"Charlie?"

"Cousin of mine. I'll tell ya two that story some day. But first, more important shit we gotta talk bout. First of all, any of you need medication of any kind?"

They shook their heads.

"Good. One less thing to worry about. Aight, number two, you'll probably need to go shopping for clothes and stuff, seeing ya have nothing with ya other than the clothes ya're wearing."

"Well, usually we just wear the same thing everyday until laundry day, and then we go back to wearing that stuff again." Lana admitted.

"Finally someone that sees what's easier!" The man exclaimed, banging his cane on the floor. "Well, we do laundry once per week. You'll at least need clothes for those seven days. I'll leave that to my wife. She's the one that usually takes care of that sorta stuff. Shopping for clothes is quite boring for me, ya know? That stuff is for girlies and pussy boys."

Lana snickered. "Heh, yeah. Which I'm definitely not. But Lisa might be!"

"I… am not sure why you bother with such comparisons. I just believe it's a waste of time choosing clothing. If it serves its purpose, style is not really my regard."

"I'm liking ya two girls already. What do you two like doin'?"

"Repairing stuff like cars and toilets, wrestling alligators, playing in the mud and taking care of animals. Just the usual stuff, y'know?"

"Unlike my elder sibling, my entertainment revolves around the study, the research and experimentation science has to provide." Lisa followed Lana.

"Nice." Timothy said. "Ya like the fun and useful stuff. And you like the boring but useful stuff. Wish my kids would do something with their lives, study or work on a job. Little shits just stay on those stupid video games all day. Ya know what I mean?"

"Oh, our brother likes those. Usually stuff like Muscle Fish and Ace Savvy, whatever those are."

"What? Never heard of those. Sounds lame though." The man said, honestly. "Well, whatcha say I show you guys around, and later we have lunch? I bet that you two are starvin'."

The two of them actually were. They didn't have Christmas dinner _nor _breakfast. Their stomachs were rumbling, especially Lisa after putting it all out earlier. But what happened just made the girls forget about their hunger for a while. They both nodded to the man, who grabbed his cane to stand up, and guided them throughout the house.

"So, here we have the kitchen, which is where the magic happens." It looked kind of similar to the kitchen from the old Louds' home, though more blank and white, and not nearly as messy. "It might look plain, but it practically comes to _life _around dinnertime!"

"Your wife sure seems to cook well, by the way you're talking." Lana said.

"I'm the one that cooks here! That girl couldn't make a sandwich when we met!" He complained.

"Dang…"

"Yeah. Now she can cook to live, but usually I'm the guy that handles the stove. I like it more that way. Hate having to depend on people to do stuff, ya know? I ain't as young as I was back in the day, but I still got the will to do my stuff."

"That's pretty cool, so how long have you been cooking?"

"Ever since I've left my home, I guess. To survive, I have to eat, and to eat, I have to cook. Learned it alone. All by myself." He said, proudly. He gestured for them to follow him into the next room, the dining room. "And here's where my masterpieces are served."

"You surely talk about your cooking with a lot of pride, Mr… I mean, Timothy." Lisa said.

"Well, what can I say? It's become my passion over the years. Well, one of them at least." He said. "Now, let me show you upstairs. It's where your bedroom will be."

The two followed the slow pace of Timothy, through the noisy steps of an old wooden staircase. When they reached the top...it looked a bit worse than the bottom floor. The walls had a few cracks here and there, one hole letting you see the internal wood structures...it was a bit like their original home, only back there the place seemed a bit more...alive. There were two doors in their front, and a door in the right end of the corridor.

"Ah. Let me present you to my kids." The man said, walking towards the door on the right. "Edward! Nathan! Come out here!" He exclaimed.

The aforementioned boys came clambering towards them out of the room. "What?" They called back.

"I think I haven't presented you two, and that means I didn't. Girls, these are my sons. Oldest is Edward, younger is Nathan. Video game addicts that should be studying!"

"Come on, Dad, it's Christmas!" Edward complained.

"Uh… greetings." Lisa said, a bit confused and uncomfortable.

"Err, sup?" Lana said, a bit more relaxed but still more confused than anything.

"Who are you two?" Nathan asked. "Weren't you the two that were at the door earlier?"

"Remember when I told you we would have guests? They are the ones. These two are Lana and Lisa, they'll be staying with us."

"So you're the reason I have to share a room with this dwarf?!" Edward asked, annoyed. "You better not touch anything in my room, or else-"

"Oh _I'm _sorry, it's not our fault we've been travelling all over after our _house _burned down!" Lana got up in his face.

"Hey, guess what?" Nathan stood forward, his face only a few inches away from Lana's. "Nobody cares."

"YOU TWO, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Timothy shouted. "They have suffered a lot, and they will stay here! And whether or you like it or not, you'll treat them with respect! AM I CLEAR?!"

They turned their heads toward him, still looking just about ready to tear each others' throats. The girls retreated to Timothy's side, still looking back and shooting daggers with their eyes.

"What is this screaming up there?!" They heard a voice coming from downstairs. Soon enough, the woman that greeted them earlier was going up the stairs with and angry expression.

"Dad is shouting at us again!" Nathan complained to the woman.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not shout at my babies?!" She exclaimed.

"When they start having some sort of respect, I'll stop shouting, Karen!" Timothy said. "Our guests have been here for nearly 15 minutes, and the four are already fighting each other!"

"They took away my room!" Ethan explained.

"I didn't take away anything!"

Karen made a silence signal to Lana, before she approached the two boys. "Listen here you two. I know this is annoying, but the two girls had faced a tragedy. And we, as our family, should support them. Now, promise me you won't fight. For mommy."

Both boys looked at her for a second before sighing. "Yes, mom."

"Good." Karen said. Lana and Lisa were almost sure that they heard Timothy quietly saying "pussies" from behind them, but they couldn't confirm. The woman then approached the two. "Now listen here you two. I'm sorry for what the two said, but I don't want you causing any trouble to them as well. Are we clear?"

They looked towards each other confusedly and turned back to her. Even if they didn't do anything, they took it more like a warning for it to stay that way. "Sure."

"Good." She turned to the boys. "Now, you two, apologize to the girls, and you can go back to what you were doing."

Nathan was the first to sigh. "Fine. Sorry for what I said."

"Yeah, okay. I'm sorry too." Edward sighed as well.

"Thanks." Lana said. "And… sorry for shouting."

"I… believe it would be better if we dispersed, and reencountered after the tension between us has been dissolved." Lisa suggested.

"What?" Both boys asked.

"_Sigh, happens with everyone._" Lisa said. "We should only meet again after things have cooled down."

"Ah…" Edward said. "Yeah. That's best." He agreed, walking into the room. Nathan just nodded and followed the boy, closing the door behind him. With that, Karen went back downstairs, leaving the other three on their own.

"Well… that was actually better than I expected." Timothy said, laughing. "Ah, I hate my life. Here, let me show you your room."

He took them to the other door, and opened it. Inside, they had more room than in the prison room. Wooden floor, one window, two mattresses, one on each side of the room, a lamp in the middle, and… that seemed about it. Simple, but with space. To the left there was a door.

"I know it's simple, but it's what we got. We only got the news last night, and we had no time to gather more furniture. Also, don't go in that door."

"What's on the other side?" Lana asked.

"An old bathroom, but that thing's been broken for 10 years now. If ya need the bathroom, go to the end of the hallway."

"Broken? Well, do you have any tools around?"

"Shit gal, now ya got me." Timothy said. "Might have some in the garage, just gotta find me. But believe me, ya don't want to go in there. Last plumber we called was never seen again after he went in."

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad. I'm sure I've seen worse things even years ago." She chucked.

"Really? What's your experience?"

"Ever unclog a toilet after someone who'd eaten several meatball subs and held it for a football game used it?"

The man's expression turned into one of disgust. "Okay… I'll give you a chance of proving yourself later. For now, I'll go downstairs. Make sure my wife doesn't burn the turkey again. I'll call you for lunch." He left the two and went downstairs as well.

"Dang, ten years? Now this, I've gotta see." She opened the door to the broken bathroom. It looked like a tornado had formed and kept contained in there. There was a piece of the toilet seat chipped off and laying on the floor, the room reeked like a sewer, and whoever last used it still hadn't flushed. Or at least, hadn't succeeded in doing so.

The plumber gasped. "Man, it's been so long since I last had a case like this. It's like a wonderland!" She made her way downstairs to ask for access to the garage to find the tools. Lisa however, held her back. Quite literally.

"As much as I understand your appreciation for the art of plumbing, it would be wise for you to wait until you've consumed something, so you won't feel any sickness during your work."

"Hmm… you've got a point. I'd say it would be better to get my hands dirty without anything in my stomach to spew, but it _has _been a while since there's been anything in there. You too, Lis."

"Especially me… though I believe it's not worth remembering why."

"Busy with experiments and stuff?"

"More likely due to my emesis, Lana."

"Your what?"

"Vomiting, Lana. Puking. Liberating a mixture of stomach acids through my mouth."

"Ohhhh… oh yeah, that. Alright, let's go grab a bite and see just how good Tim's cooking is." And that they did, heading down to the kitchen where he was.

"No no no! For the last time, that's not how it's done!" They heard from the kitchen when they arrived downstairs.

"I do it better than you!" A feminine voice came afterwards.

"No you don't! Last time you put salt on the desert because you thought it was too sweet!"

"But it was!"

"That's not how you correct it!"

"Hey, you two." They heard a voice coming from the top of the stairs, and it revealed to be Edward, the oldest of the two brothers. "One thing you should know. Never bother those two while they're fighting. Things get ugly pretty quickly."

"How long do they usually fight?"

"Depends. Sometimes it's just a few minutes, other times they don't talk for days. If I were you, I'd only show up when you're called."

"What about lunch?"

"Forget it for now. That usually takes a lot to get ready."

"How long 'til dinner, then?"

"Do you only know how to ask questions, girl?! I don't know how long. I just wait till they call. Just trying to warn you to do the same. Jeez." He said, going back, probably to his room.

Lana sighed. "Well shit, guess we're not eating for a while. I'm just gonna go get the tools, I saw the garage open earlier."

She went outside and soon came back with some plumbing tools. "Hopefully it won't be too long until we're called down. Odd that suddenly he gives us advice after before though."

"I also had such suspicion. Perhaps those two are highly obedient to their mother, though strongly rebel against their father… also, did you ask permission for that?"

"He said I could work on the bathroom upstairs and told me about the tools, remember?"

"Yes, but… are you sure this is a good idea? We're newcomers, and such operations can provide a lot of disturbances in the form of noise. Besides, don't you think the others would find a bit awkward you having access to potentially harmful equipment?"

"Well, I did ask him and he said I could. And they'd probably appreciate having a new fixed-up bathroom, wouldn't they?" Suddenly, a low growling noise could be heard. "Was that you or me?"

"Definitely not me." Lisa said.

"Oh. And I don't think it was me." Lana said. "Then what was that noise?"

"What do you two think you're doing?" They heard a feminine voice behind them. They turned around to see Karen, her shadow covering the body of the two girls, her facial expression was of an angry smile. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't cause trouble!"

"What are you talking about? I was told that I could go fix the bathroom upstairs!" Lana protested.

"I don't remember saying anything about that." She said, snapping the box away. "Now it's time for you two to learn a lesson."

"But Timothy said-"

By then they were being dragged away by the backs of their shirts, all the way upstairs. They'd be surprised if the collars of their shirts didn't end up becoming torn or stretched. "Nobody says buts to me, dear. Now you better be quiet if you don't want a worse punishment."

She opened the door to their rooms and threw them inside. Whether it was anger fueling that strength or just the strength alone, they could now see why the name "Karen" had a tendency to strike fear in many people's eyes. Seriously, she was terrifying.

"And don't come back out until it's time for dinner!" She slammed the door shut and walked away.

"Lisa?"

"Yes?"

"What the hell just happened?"


	4. Smoky Clouds

The two girls remained in their bedrooms for a few minutes in silence. They had been laying on their beds on their stomachs idly watching the clock tick and occasionally facing each other. Eventually, the silence was something neither of them could bare with anymore.

"So… you got anything you wanna talk about, Lis?" Lana asked.

"I tried to warn you about obtaining the tools." Lisa said, facing the ceiling. "However, the woman's reaction was beyond what I'd have expected, given our conditions."

"Hey, Tim said I could fix the bathroom, so I thought it'd be alright. And wouldn't that Karen lady like the idea of having it work again? Both you and I know how hard things can be with only one bathroom."

"But they live only in four… well, six in the actual situation. Besides, remember what Mr Marlton said? They couldn't find a plumber capable of fixing the room. What would make a stranger believe a 12 year old could?"

"I guess, but… jeez, what's her problem? I've already been here for less than a day and I already don't like her one bit."

"The feelings are shared, sibling." Lisa agreed. "However, we cannot completely disconsider her reasons. After all, if you had newcomers, what would you think if they got their hands on potentially hazardous equipment?"

"Well, what else would she think I'd try to do with 'em?"

"I'll repeat what I said… Strangers getting possession of what can be considered a weapon inside your own house."

"Oh. I guess, but still. She didn't have to be so mean about it."

"Protective measures. Despite that, I agree that there was no reason for her actions if we were allowed to explain the situation, however I can still see her reasonings."

"I just hope things won't be so rough in the future."

"Interesting you've mentioned that. It reminded me of a quote I heard once… I can't exactly recall its source though." Lisa said. "Perhaps applicable to our current condition."

Lana tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?"

"Let me remember the exact words...It's been a long time ago since I've heard it the last time… I believe it was our elder brother who shared me such phrase…"

"What was the phrase?"

"Hope ain't worth a damn" Lisa simply said, with a hint of irony in her words.

"With the way things are going, maybe that's true. But, I still like to hold onto the idea that things might get better."

"That's not exactly the interpretation I've acquired of such a sentence. What I believe it meant is that hope alone is not enough for things to change or become better, or in our case, improve our situation. We'd need something more."

"Well of course we can't _only _rely on hope. We actually have to do stuff to make things better, but I think hope is a good motivator to actually go through with doing those things. It's like cheering yourself on, I guess."

"Well, I can't prove it's effectiveness, but surely having self motivation won't hurt anyone."

"Exactly!"

"You seem a bit too excited though." Lisa said. "I hate bringing reality right on our faces, but despite your positivity, our situation is far from favourable."

"I know… I know, I really do." She sighed. "And everything's happening so quickly too. One minute we're having fun together in the snow, and the next our whole lives go up in flames."

"Was that some sort of pun to what happened approximately 16 hours ago?"

"What are you talking abo- oh. No, I didn't intend it like that."

"I guess only Luan would attempt such a thing… I don't know if you ever realized over the years, but comedy was her way of relieving everything."

"That would explain why she seemed to especially like dark humor."

"I believe that was just the fact that all of us have aged considerably, thus allowing her to use such humor more often. But your hypothesis can't be ignored as a possibility."

"Yeah, and I like dark humor too. I probably would have meant the 'up in flames' thing as a pun if more time had passed though. There is such a thing as too soon."

"I believe the same thing." Lisa said. "So...any other subjects you'd wish to discuss? Maybe to avoid prolonging this conversation before we reach...undesirable topics?

Lana stroked her chin in thought. "Hmm… what about the uh… the White Elephant Gift Exchange? Y'know, if it would have happened, that is. What were you planning to give someone? That's always been my favorite part of Christmas."

"I've actually planned to give a little payback to our fourth eldest sibling for the years of terror on the 91st or 92nd day of the year."

"You mean the April Fools' Prankpocalypse?"

"Exactly. I've cautiously made a containment chamber for Luan...and do you remember what she desired the most?"

"And what would that be?"

"I don't recall the name she used… it was advanced pranking equipment… to be honest, I believe she was way past the age of actually doing 'pranks', but if she wished so, I've decided to do one myself."

"Oooh, I never took you for someone who'd pull pranks, but this is getting good. Go on."

"So, I've reacherded models and similar products, and in a controlled environment, it was designed, 3D printed, and wrapped without contact with the exterior, before placed under our fake example of a vegetable of the _pinophyta_ group, also known as our Christmas tree."

"What the hell kind of a vegetable is a _tree?_"

"Apology, what I meant to say is a plant. I'm so hungry…" Lisa said. "You think they'll ever call us for lunch?"

"Oh. And hopefully it won't be too long. If they don't call us in the next hour I'm gonna have to start digging through the trash again."

"That's unsanitary and unhealthy, despite the fact that you've performed such an act various time."

"Everything about me is unsanitary and unhealthy, Lisa. You should know that by now." Lana snarked.

"I know. That doesn't mean I must agree with it."

"I never said you had to."

"Fair point." Lisa said. "Anyways, continuing my tale, the 'gift' I had planned for Luan had a peculiarity. Its material."

"Oh boy, what was it?"

"You probably don't know of its existence, so I won't bother explaining what it is." Lisa said. "However, this compound has a very quick reaction with nitrogen, the element most present in our atmosphere. In practice, that means that the content inside the box, once open, would react with the air's nitrogen, and dissolve in the air, fading away."

"So what, it'd blow up in her face or something?"

"Of course not. That could be extremely hazardous. What would happen is that everything inside would… it would look like it had started to evaporate, simply disappear in the air after a few moments. I'm not a prank master, I just wished to give her a surprised expression of her gift simply disappearing."

"Okay, now _that _would have been great to see." Lana started chuckling at the thought. "I wish I could have actually seen that."

"I believe most of our family would've enjoyed. What about you? What were your plans?"

"Ehh, nothing much. I would've just given Lynn a Gil DeLily pageant book and a pink sparkly towel."

"You mean a dress?"

"What's a dress?"

"You've got to be kidding me…" Lisa said, facepalming. "Do I really have to explain?"

"Is it like a sparkly towel?"

"It's the type of clothing Lola and Leni usually wore. Are you familiarized with that?"

The name 'Lola' struck a chord with her. "Lola…" She whispered sadly. A few images flashed in her mind for a moment while she curled up tightly, though she managed to regain her composure. "Y-yeah, sparkly towels. And some that aren't sparkly."

"Lana...are you alright?" Lisa tilted her head to face her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She lied through her teeth.

"Are you sure? D-did I say something?"

"No no, it's okay. I'm sure you didn't mean it- I mean… yeah, don't worry. Let's just continue with the other thing."

"You mean our conversation?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah."

"Is there anything else you wish to talk about?"

"Uhh… what about your science stuff? Any experiments you were working on, or meetings to attend? Any revolutionary discoveries that'll benefit all of mankind?"

"As much as I wish there was, I can't recall any, neither me nor anyone else. Usually the scientific community gets a low production during this time of the year."

"Because it's Christmastime and everyone's on a break, right?"

"I believe so, but it's not certain. Not every scientist celebrates Christmas."

"True. And is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

"I don't think so." Lisa said, as her stomach began rumbling. "Perhaps we should try to gather some sleep. It will give us the illusions that time went by faster."

"I guess. And if anything, sleep for lunch is better than nothing." Lana crawled under the covers, still in her regular clothes.

"I believe so. Have a good rest, Lana."

"You too, Lisa." She closed her eyes and lay there, trying to invoke the feeling you get when it goes darker and you realize you're going to go into deep sleep mode soon.

* * *

_Lana found herself in a windy and snowy place, so much so that her sight was extremely hazy. It was as if she were in the middle of a raging blizzard. The wind was so strong that it took all her might to take a single step without falling or getting knocked back. She didn't exactly remember how she got there, but what she did know was that she had to get out there, and fast, before hypothermia could get its ice cold claws on her._

"_Dang it, what happened to my compass?" Lana asked herself. She patted down her coat pockets, only to find that the felt completely flat. She tried searching inside them instead, and came out empty-handed. "Where did it go?!"_

_Her stomach grumbled. She tried looking around to see if she could see anything, anything that could either be her home or something to eat. She didn't know how long she had been out here, but it was definitely way too long._

"_Is anyone out there?!" She shouted. It was drowned out by the howling wind, yet it somehow also… echoed? How does that even work? Where was she, anyway?_

_She soon caught a familiar smell. The smell of something cooking, or at least that's what she thought it was. Now feeling desperate, she ran towards it as fast as she could. She let her nose guide her since she was practically blind through this white storm._

_The closer she got, the warmer she felt and the stronger the smell got. Her vision also got clearer and she could now see something bright and orange in the distance. She felt like she should have been happy about finally finding something to escape the storm, but for some reason an uneasy feeling washed over her. Something just didn't feel right at all. Nevertheless, she forced herself to continue with her trek towards the far away beacon._

_Halfway there, she realized another thing. She could have sworn that someone had been with her before._

"_Lisa…?" She stopped and frantically looked around for the nerd in green, but she was nowhere to be seen. "LISA?!" She was now running, faster than ever towards the light. Maybe she was already there. Maybe she was just crazy and was the only one out there. She wasn't sure but something was pulling her towards that light, but there was also another feeling that ached in her heart. It was a maternal feeling of sorts, an urge to try and find Lisa. If she was even there, that is._

_So, she drifted from her path a bit. Her vision got blurry once again and the smell flared up tenfold. She searched and searched, but could find no sign of her little sister. The feeling of being pulled away was also getting stronger, until she could no longer resist it and went back to the path. She prayed that Lisa was safe and probably near that light, and that everything is alright and she was just crazy._

_As she got closer and closer, she realized what was happening. She was standing in front of her house, which was being devoured by hungry, greedy flames. The wind and snow disappeared and now her senses were clear as day. She looked around, and now found herself standing in a barren wasteland, with burned down trees still on fire. The flaming dead trees surrounded the equally-doomed house in a ring of fire. Screaming filled the thick, smoky air that made her cough and choke._

_That same maternal feeling came over her. She felt like she had to go in there, even if it led to her demise. She readied herself in a fighting stance and charged at the door. It broke into millions of splinters upon impact, some of which were now embedded into her shoulder skin. She couldn't give less of a damn at the time about the pain as of now._

_The sight on the inside was much… much worse than the outside. People and pets alike were running all around, all either on fire or trying to find an escape, or both._

"_I just made an exit for you guys! Look!" She shouted and pointed towards the door… only to find that the hole was now gone and had been sealed up. It was just another wall._

"_Wait… what?!" She ran back to it. "I just broke this door to get in! Where's the hole?!" She tried slamming herself into it again with her side, the same way she broke the door. There wasn't even a dent in the wall and the large splinters were pushed deeper into her skin, making her yelp in pain. She tried again, and was met with the same result along with the splinters going in even further. She kept on trying and trying until the pain got too much._

_Now with tears streaming down her face, she turned back. The screams had mostly stopped, except for two distinct ones. She recognized them as belonging to Lola and Lisa. She ran to them._

_She couldn't even say anything, and neither could they. She just sat in between them on the burning carpet, not even feeling the flames lick her clothes and skin. The three girls huddled up together as they tearfully watched their whole world be swallowed by the wildfire. Faint Christmas music played in the background; it was Deck the Halls._

"_**Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la**_

'_**Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la"**_

_And soon it was, and everything faded to black._

* * *

"_Lisa! Come down for dinner!"_

_The little nerd opened her eyes, and saw that she was in a bedroom. But it wasn't an ordinary room, nor the one that she remembered trying to fall asleep in. But rather, her old bedroom, organized just like she remembered. _

"_What?! What sort of illusion is this? Was all of this… a nightmare perhaps?" She asked herself, standing up. Her vision was a bit blurry, that is, until she reached for her glasses laying on her nightstand._

"_Despite my vision being clear, something seems odd in this whole situation." _

_She walked outside of her bedroom. The hallway was cold, and she felt it even with the proper winter clothes. It was also empty of people, even if filled with decorations from the doors of every room to the walls and the floor. She could hear some noise coming from downstairs._

"_Lisa!" She heard a shout again._

"_I'm coming! Please have a bit of patience!" She asked, loudly._

_She slowly walked downstairs towards the source of the noises. When she was in the middle of her path, a chill went up her spine, even if nothing had changed at all. She slowly turned the corner of the wall, to see her whole family sitting on the dinner table, properly filled with all dishes expected for a Christmas Eve meal._

"_Finally, Lis!" Lori exclaimed. "We've been waiting for you literally forever."_

"_Apology, eldest sibling." Lisa asked, seeming wildly confused. "I… I accidentally fell asleep, and I believe I'm still a bit dazed after being woken up."_

"_Well, now that you're here, we can start our meal!" Lynn Sr announced, and everyone cheered as Lisa made her way towards her spot on the table, between Lana and Lily._

_Everyone began getting served their father's turkey, except for Lisa herself. She was too confused to even desire to eat, even if her hunger was increasing by the minute. Everyone was eating normally, like nothing had ever happened._

"_Lana." Lisa whispered to her sister._

"_Yeah Lis?" She said, while chewing her mouth full of food._

"_What's going on here?"_

"_Uh...family dinner?"_

"_No, that's not what I meant!" She said, a bit annoyed. "I mean, our entire family is here… even our house! Both vanished after the accident."_

"_What accident are you talking about Lis? Nothing happened."_

"_What do you mean, nothing happened?!"_

"_Nothing happened. I can't be clearer on that." She said, as she went back to her plate._

_Lisa looked to both sides, nobody seemed to be bothered or notice her small talk. She asked to be excused for a moment, as she forgot to wash her hands, and ran back upstairs, towards her bedroom. She ran in, closed the door, and started breathing heavily._

"_Something is definitely wrong here!" Lisa said to herself. "There's no way they can just be here! Unless… yes, perhaps it was a nightmare! I must confirm it, though!"_

_Lisa then walked towards her computer. One of her many updates of the machine was to track her brain waves and electrical charges during sleep. It was a good thing to find and remember useful thoughts that show up during her sleep. _

"_Okay, let's see the recordings for the last two days…" she said to herself. "Hmm… this is awkward, there's no data on nothing I remember happening on the last half of a day… Perhaps the archives are incomplete."_

_She went towards her 'storage room' which consisted basically of her bedroom closet adapted for her equipment, and placed it on top of a support besides the table. She plugged it in on the computer, and waited for it to load._

"_Okay, now let me think." Lisa said, turning around towards her chalkboard she had kept for years. She grabbed a piece of chalk and began writing._

"_If the theory that what has happened for what seemed like half a day is simply an illusionary reality developed solely by my brain, therefore there must be recordings if my machines were capable of detecting the waves. Now, in the case that wasn't captured by an error of the machines, more procedures to analyze my brain will be necessary… But if Lana doesn't record anything, perhaps her actions I recall never actually happened, and perhaps-"_

_Just at that moment, she began hearing some beeping coming from the computer. At first, she thought it was probably the conclusion of the machine's procedure, but soon she realized that it wasn't, given the red warning screens she saw._

"_What? Is there an error somewhere?"_

_Then she noticed her machine plugged into computer wasn't on a support. It was on top of her heating system, which was near max due to being winter._

"_Oh no-"_

_Before she could do anything, a blast of energy made the 11 year old go flying through the window and outside of the house. She landed in front of it, and while the fall hurt, the snow helped to make the impact a bit softer. After regaining her senses, she stood up and looked forward._

_The house was engulfed in flames. She heard a couple more explosions, probably of her inventions, sounding from inside, followed by screams of terror and pain inside. Nobody came out, and Lisa could do nothing but stare, and watch the shadows of people inside fade to the floor and screams being switched to silence._

"_No…. no...not again! I-it's all my fault!" Lisa exclaimed, taking a couple steps forward, the heat preventing her from walking any further. "It was all my fault?! It was all my fault!"_

* * *

Both of them catapulted straight out of their nightmares. "GAAAH!" They shouted at the same time, sitting upright in their beds. They panted, trying to catch their breath. As they surveyed their surroundings, they found themselves in the same bedroom they remember trying to fall asleep in. And the one that Karen had literally thrown them in hours ago.

"L-Lana...is that you?" Lisa asked, shaking a bit.

"Y-yeah… Lisa? You… you're alive."

"Lana…" Lisa said, running to her sister's bed and wrapping her in her arms. She quickly started sobbing. "_I-I'm sorry...s-so sorry!"_

"W-what? What do you h-have… to be s-sorry for? If anything _I _should be the one that's sorry!" The older tomboy tightly hugged the younger nerd and held her close to her body.

"Y-you don't understand...I-I..._sniff_...I-I likely caused t-the whole fire...t-the c-chances I-it started in my b-bedroom...I-it's so high…"

"How though? You weren't even home when it happened… and even then, I was the one that dragged you outside to go _sledding _of all things!"

"N-no, I-it's not your fault...what I mean is..._sniff_...all of the i-inflammable and explosive compounds and machinery..._sniff_...a-all t-that i-it's need I-is one small s-spark...a-and it all gone!" She said, sinking her head in Lana's shoulder, as she started to cry.

Lana yelped at the sudden feeling in her shoulder, remembering the splinters from her nightmare. Realizing they weren't actually there, she brought her shoulder back and allowed Lisa to stay there. "I-I know how easy it is to… _sniff… _to start a fire. One small cigarette butt can take out a whole forest during the dry season. But I highly doubt it was anything… _sniff… _anything that you did. Someone probably left the oven on or something, or maybe it was gas. There's been a gas problem in the house lately and I've been trying to fix it but nothing worked."

"D-do you think so?" Lisa asked, backing away a bit, and facing Lana in the eyes. "Please sibling, d-don't lie to me…please:.."

"I think so. But whatever the case may be… promise me you won't ever leave my side. I can't bare losing you a-again…" Lana hugged her even tighter and a few tears streamed down her face and onto Lisa's.

"I-I promise sibling...I...I won't abandon you...we'll be together for everything...we'll bare through this together."

"A-alright… whatever happens, we'll get through it in the end. As long as we have each other. And I promise I'll be there for you, for whatever you need."

"I...I appreciate that, Lana." Lisa said, cleaning the tears out of her own face. "I...I don't believe either of us could bare this situation on our own."

"I don't think so either." And then her stomach started growling yet again, reminding them again that they were starving. "And do you think we're gonna eat soo-"

They were startled by a sudden knock on their door. "Dinner's ready!" They heard on the other side.

"Dinner? What on Earth happened to lunch?" Lana asked quietly to Lisa.

"I assume we've either remained asleep for a long time, or that we simply weren't granted lunch." Lisa said. "I wouldn't complain though. I'm starving, and I wish to keep certain thoughts… away."

"Me too. Let's finally get some grub though." Lana stood up and wiped the tears away from her face, trying to hide the fact that she had been crying. She opened the door to find Timothy standing there.

"My wife didn't let you out for lunch. Dinner is ready. Go wash your hands and meet us downstairs." He said, annoyed, as he walked down the stairs.

"Shall we?" Lisa said, a bit confused.

"Uhh yeah, we shall." Lana replied, equally as confused. "Hey by the way, where's the other bathroom? Because I only know where the broken one is."

"End of the hallway, remember he told us?"

"Oh yeah, my brain isn't working right now, I guess. I'll see ya in a bit."


	5. Instantaneous Combustion

_**(A/N): I apologize for not updating the story earlier. Hopefully the update schedule will go back to being consistently every Monday, but it may take a little bit. Anyway, we hope you enjoy this chapter and perhaps the action will start picking up soon.**_

* * *

They both went to go wash their hands and then went downstairs to the dining room. Inside was an entire Christmas dinner, with a variety of different foods. To the two girls, it was a feast fit for the gods, and both their mouth began watering just by the looks of it. They took their seats, hungrily eyeing the food like a pack of wolves getting ready to attack their prey.

"Now Lana... I understand we've been fasting for approximately 24 hours, but please, have manners." Lisa asked, quietly. "I'm afraid we could be privatized from another meal if our behavior isn't according to what our hosts believe is… acceptable."

"What are you talking about, what am I doing?" Lana whispered back, completely unaware.

"Nothing, sibling, I just…" She then pulled Lana a bit closer, so she could speak into her ear. "I'm desperate for alimentary supplements, Lana. And your personality of fighting against what you believe is inconsistent… please, just this time, don't cause any trouble, even if you believe you're doing the right thing… right now…" Lisa's stomach began rumbling again. "...What's right and wrong is beyond my worries."

"Okay okay, I won't do anything. And I dunno what 'alimentary supplements' are, but they sound important and I want some too. I just hope things go smoothly."

"What are you two talking about?" Nathan asked, who was sitting next to them.

"It's nothing." They both brushed him off.

"I'm quite sure it wasn't nothing, but there's more important things to care for. Like Christmas dinner!" Ethan said, sitting besides his brother. "Just hope mom and dad get here quick. I'm starving."

Luckily for the four kids, Karen and Timothy came strolling into the dining room. Both of them looked exasperated and just about ready to all it a day as they also took their seats. Both didn't bother to look at each other much. The woman kept her eyes more on the kids, and the man kept his on the turkey. He started cutting it up, trying to be as fair as possible while distributing the pieces of meat. And that meant he grabbed a wing for himself and he left the knife for whoever else wanted to cut a piece and eat.

The five remaining table seaters just began staring at the meal. The older woman just looked at them with an expression like they were doing something wrong. The four younger ones eyes each other a bit, not exactly sure what to do with it. Should they go first, or should they wait for the others? A question that took at least some good seconds with only the noise of the old man chewing his turkey with rice and sauce. Quickly though, one of them decided to speak.

"So, I guess I'm the only hungry one here, huh?!" Timothy ironically said. "What's the matter with the food?"

The four pairs of eyes shifted from one another, to him, to the turkey, until several hands shot forward and started demolishing the turkey, taking whatever they could. Even Lisa got in on it after a moment. The carnage came to an end with everyone returning to their seats, each person with a full plate and an angelic smile as though nothing had happened. Tim had stopped eating momentarily to witness it.

"...Okay… you're weird… but at least you're eating." Timothy said, going back to his plate.

"Are you serious?!" Karen exclaimed from the other side of that table. "They attacked the thing like they were wild animals hunting! Where's your manners?!"

"It's Christmas, goddammit." Timothy said. "Nobody cares bout fuckin' manners when it's just us at the table."

"Well, they should have some sort of sense at a table. I don't know where these girls came from, but my boys were raised to eat like gentlemen, not wolves! And look at it! There's barely anything left for me!"

"Maybe next time, try getting your dinner instead of complaining so much. Maybe something other than air will go through your throat."

"Excuse me?! Do you even realize who you're talking to?! I'm your wife!"

The four kids did their best to just eat and ignore the brewing fight, but occasionally found themselves catching a few words or a glance or two. Ignoring, while apparently the best option, didn't mean it was a good option. Having people shout at your ear while you eat just makes people lose appetite. At least for the two girls. The boys managed to eat through the noise.

Lisa stared at everyone a bit confused. What was that all about? Did their families have their issues and fights? Absolutely, there were 13 of them, and even if they no longer lived all under the same roof, the conflicts and arguments weren't rare. But this? It was Christmas night, that one day of the year intended for people to get together and enjoy each other's company. Their family knew when to stop and enjoy each other, even if a few people did get a bit mad eventually. Usually because someone made the mistake of bringing up politics. Still, it was a happy meal, with laughs, curious eyes, full stomachs and the joy of being with…

With their own family. Something hit Lisa, which she wasn't used to nor was she expected. She looked at both sides, and she'd ask herself to be excused. But the two were fighting so hard, she understood nobody would notice her. Only now she noticed apparently the two boys were done and left the table. No need to watch the sudden death which was the dinner table of the Marltons. She made her way upstairs, alone, towards her room, or the bathroom, or whatever. She wasn't exactly sure.

Lana ate as fast as she could in hopes of not having to witness what was going on for much longer. She wouldn't be left alone and wonder whatever would fall over her due to the tension on that table. She made her way upstairs. The door to the bedroom opened. The lights were off in it, the shining hallway light only slightly illuminating it and and shadows dancing on the walls.

"Hey Lis." Lana said and crawled over to her own bed. She licked her fingers clean of the turkey grease, then used that to wash her face like a cat would. "That sure was awkward, wasn't it?"

"_Y-Yeah._" Lisa whispered from her bed, facing the wall. "_Awkward...good term to describe it."_

Lana stopped grooming herself. "It's Christmas, for fucks sake! Do they ever stop fighting? Is this what life is gonna be like?"

"_I-I really hope not." _Lisa said. "_Our family had its issues, but this...this is indescribably different."_

"I know, right? At least we didn't fight all day, every day. It's like this is all they do. And we just came here, so how long has it even been this way?"

"_I...I can't precise, but it's obvious the time length is expressively large..."_

"Sure seems like it. Do they ever get along?"

"_Lana...w-would you mind remaining quiet?"_

"Okay then, uhh, sorry." She sighed and stared up at the wall on her side of the room, not even sure what to do. All they brought with them was well, themselves. No pajamas, nothing to entertain themselves with, nothing like that. She had hoped that at least fixing up the broken bathroom would be a nice break from all the shit that was thrown at them, but that was a bust. So she resorted to all she had - her imagination.

She thought up a world where the past two days hadn't happened and everything was just as fine as always. The stress that was there was focused on going back to school after the winter break rather than where their lives were headed. And speaking of which, what about school? Would they just drop out? Would they switch schools? Would they be home-schooled? It was funny how quickly priorities in life could change, but not like "ha-ha" funny, more like "screw-you" funny. She started zoning out into that world, barely even blinking.

"Lana? I-I'm sorry if I was insensitive with you… are you okay?" Lisa asked, turning around to face her elder sibling.

She snapped out of her little trance and turned to her little sister. "Yeah I'm fine, I'm just… thinking."

"About… what, exactly?"

"How things would be if… the thing didn't happen."

"I… believe it's quite soon to discuss such a topic, if you ask my view. Despite the drastic changes, it's all temporary. Once someone above the majority age gets completely healed, our lives will slowly adapt to as close as it was before."

"Hopefully that'll be soon. Too much stress for this dinner, am I right? And I just realized how much I've said 'I hope' or 'hopefully' in less than two days. What happened to my vocabulary?"

"It wasn't exactly the most diverse I've ever seen." Lisa pointed out.

"It usually is. More colorful, anyway."

"And with less curses and swears, may I add."

"I like using those. Just throwin' them around like free candy, except around Lily because of that one incident with the daycare interview and stuff."

"_Dang it_, Lana, you didn't need to remind me." Lisa said, chuckling a bit. "We spent some time trying to make her not say such words, and in the end it wasn't even what she was trying to say. Sometimes the unexpected can trick the most developed of minds."

"Heh heh, yep. That sure was fun. And remember the whole bake sale thing that happened because Lori threw the family computer out of the window and we all had to pitch in to buy a new one since apparently she didn't like the research I was doing or something?"

"That is, indeed, something funny to remember. And do you recall that one occurrence that we've sold all our furniture in one of our garage sales due to the desire to of making the biggest profit?"

"Man, getting all that stuff back was definitely a headache I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. At least it was worth it for the victory dances."

"For once in forever Lynn wasn't alone doing that dance." Lisa recalled. "Her winning complexion was something that I could've taken some time to study."

Lana blushed in embarrassment as she recalled her little rail stunt. "Oh my god, _noooo… I was six!_ I didn't understand how much I'd regret it!" Then yet another realization hit her, deepening that embarrassment. "And now that explains the whole computer thing…"

"What were you even researching?" Lisa asked.

"I don't even remember, but I think it was something about my favorite animal and my class was supposed to write about everything we could find about it. And then Lori just swooped out of nowhere and a second later it was like it wasn't even there."

"I… just please have mercy of me by not sharing the sources, if you remember any. I'm quite sure our eldest sibling would have a very good reason to launch the device out of the window.

"I don't even remember and I don't plan on ever taking another look." She sighed and grumbled something while covering her face. "Changing the subject now. Remember when we all tried to teach Leni how to drive?"

"Haven't we almost caused an accident with that situation? Like, 3 times? They've literally called the firefighters after they somehow managed to enter a swimming pool."

"She thought it was the carpool, and I don't know how she managed to break the laws of physics to get in there like that, but I guess anything is possible with her. I miss her already."

"She didn't break the laws of physics. Only a couple property invasion laws. It's possible discorsideing the latter. As for the last part, I agree. I miss all of our family members."

"Same here. Everything just _happened _all at once!"

"Definitely. But as one said: '"Everything can be fixed with time.'"

"Everything?"

"I never said we'd live to see it fixed, but it always does. Besides, I haven't seen a single problem last forever. Have you?"

"Well, no…"

"It might take a while, but trust me we'll see better days. It has just been one full day, and all that happened was some verbal arguing and missing a meal. It could actually be quite worse."

"Well look at you being all optimistic all of a sudden, I'm surprised! But you do have a point. It's a miracle that we even have a roof over our heads, after the other miracle that we even survived."

"Our world is perhaps surrounded by miracles that we must pay attention to notice are around us. Because a miracle doesn't have to be specifically what you expect. For instance, I could consider a miracle to be the taste of the turkey on our table, despite the constant arguing."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure you _loooove _the taste of 'turkey,' Lisa. You just savor _every_ taste you can get." Lana snickered while putting up air quotes wherever (in)appropriate.

"Are you serious?" Lisa said, a bit annoyed, but also giggling a bit. "Do you think those sort of jokes are really suited for our situation?"

Lana just gave her a cheeky grin and continued to giggle.

"But to be fair, that meal was delicious if you took the proper time to appreciate the meal."

"I'm sure you thought so. But yeah, it was pretty good. Timothy wasn't lying when he said he could cook."

"He surely has a good hand in the kitchen. Kind of like our father. One who isn't aware of genetics would claim that's a characteristic in the family's deoxyribonucleic acid code. Or DNA, for short."

"If it was, maybe I could be a good cook one day."

Lisa then had a flashback to the several times Lana had tried to cook over the years, all of which ended up with horrifying results. One time, she even had the bright idea to cook barf. She wasn't kidding when she said that's what it was. When the flashback ended, Lisa cringed with disgust. "I… I have several questions about the wisdom of such an idea."

"Well, can _you _cook?" Lana challenged and folded her arms.

"Cooking is nothing more than chemical manipulation with a certain degree of imprecision. I believe I'd master such an art if I aspired to practice it."

"I dunno, there was that one time we all tried cooking our own meals to mix up the menu and failed horribly. Except for me, the barf was delicious."

"Lana… please refrain from mentioning that… it's not exactly something I wish to keep in my mind."

The two continued talking about the past, among other things, throughout the night. Anything to distract themselves from the pain of their current situation. They talked well into midnight, until they conked out into deep sleep.

* * *

People. Stores. White floors. That's what you can see in a shopping mall. And that's exactly where the two sisters were heading two, being taken by Karen, in order to get new clothes, personal hygiene items and maybe something else they'd need that they would only remember after looking at it. Which would be good for the two, considering they've been wearing the same clothing for 3 days. Lana didn't really care, but Lisa seemed to be annoyed by the smell. The two were behind the taller woman, as they went straight to one of the many clothing stores in the place.

"Ah, is there anything better than shopping for clothes, my dears?" She asked.

"Personally not my favorite activity." Lisa said.

_"I dunno, eating shit?"_ Lana sarcastically thought to herself. She glanced at Lisa, and decided that it would be best not to start anything if she wasn't provoked. "Ehh, it's alright, I guess." She lied instead.

"Perfect. I have a friend that works here that will make you two look fabulous!" She exclaimed, walking ahead.

"This gal will make me go nuts." Lana said.

"Just bare with her, and we don't get in trouble, okay? I promise we will find something interesting for you to do back in our new residence."

"Should I apologize for the tool thing? I was going to at dinner but it… got awkward. Also, the word 'fabulous' scares me, considering where we are."

"I'm... not sure. Perhaps an apology might ease her, and raises the chances of her allowing you to choose clothing suited for your preferences." Lisa explained. As for the second sentence, what exactly can scare you in a clothing selling establishment?"

Lana did not answer directly, and instead turned her head towards some of the shops that showcased overly shiny and sparkly dresses and skirts. The kind that looked like someone drenched them in glitter.

"Oh… I see." Lisa said. "Well, you can always ask for her to-"

"You two, come in here now!" They heard Karen from the store Lana was looking at earlier. "I've found the perfect things for you!"

"Oh no…"

They followed her inside, not wanting to risk getting her mad. Lana lagged a bit behind, so Lisa had to pull her along a bit.

"Ah, there you are!" She exclaimed, with a red smile of her lipstick. "Look at what I just found!" She said, showing the two a complete outfit. Black heeled boots, a light beige pairs of leggings, followed with a pink stuffed jacked."Okay, maybe not all of these together, but you'd look super cute in one of these!" She said, looking at Lana.

"Uhhh, I don't wanna sound rude or anything, but I dunno. I'm… not really sure this suits me that much." She said, blushing a little.

"Huh? Why not?! What you didn't like?" She said, a bit annoyed.

She felt a strange tightening in her chest from the nervousness. "I guess it's the… pink? And I'm not really used to wearing heeled stuff." She said in a higher than usual pitch.

"Hmm…" Karen said, looking at the clothes. "Okay, _maybe _the pink isn't a good tone for the seasons. Perhaps a darker color...but the heels would be so nice, you'd start looking like a real lady!"

The last bit struck her like a lighting bolt. "A… A r-real lady? I-I dunno, I'm not really like that."

"Aw, sweetie, don't worry." Karen said. "I know these first years are hard with hormones and all that, I've been through that, but you can't start too early to practice for when you finish developing. You'll look so good with a bit of makeup, maybe a different haircut… actually, both of you need one…"

"I-" She was at a loss for words. Her eyes darted from Lisa, to Karen, to the outfit she was stuffed into. "Why do I gotta go girly?" She finally got out without thinking.

"Excuse me?!" Karen said. "Is that how you speak to the one responsible for you?!"

"What my sibling is trying to express." Lisa came in the middle, before a fight blew up. "Is that she's used to and has a preference for a more neutral or masculine type of lifestyle, which includes clothing. All she wishes is to not be forced into an attire that doesn't follow her pattern."

"Well, that may be the case before, but now that you two are with me, you will _both _do as I say!" Karen shouted. "And if I say your sister is going to act like a lady, then she is going to act like a lady!"

"But I-"

"No but's! Come with me, and I will find some appropriate outfits for you. No more wearing those gross overalls or that ratty hat." She snatched the hat off her head.

"Oh…" Lisa said.

"What is it now?!" Karen said.

"Despite my sibling's behavior not being exactly the best, you should not have done what you just did."

"What the hell?! That's my hat! Look, I don't like getting mad, but that cap was a hand-me-down from my older sister and I've had it for as long as I can remember! I'm thankful to have a place to live, I really am, but what's your problem? I can understand the tool thing and I was going to apologize, but now I can't even be myself?" She ranted, pacing back and forth, swinging the arms around trying to snatch her hat back and not even caring about the others staring. She even found herself almost readying a punch, but stopped herself from throwing it in favor of not getting decked herself. She ended her rant with some heavy breathing, trying to calm herself down. Soon she did, and was coming to terms with what just happened. "I-I'm not usually like this, it's just… is it too much to ask to let me have my hat?"

Karen dropped the hat to the ground in surprise. Before anything else could happen, she walked out of the store before she could say anything else she'd regret, but not before picking her hat up and hastily putting it back on as she walked away.

"Your sister is a completely immature child!" Karen said to Lisa.

"_If only you saw the elder ones_." She said over her breath. "You shouldn't have taken her hat, you know. That draws negative attention for you, me, my sister, and the store we're currently in. And I assume you're probably getting mad at me as I'm still talking."

"What she needs is an attitude fix! Luckily, I used to teach obedience classes for dogs, so I'm sure I can do something."

"Despite that being slightly offensive, to compare a _homo sapiens _to a _canis familiaris_, I must confess that it's not entirely impossible, considering her usual canine-like behavior." Lisa said. "Uh...and if you don't mind, could we go after some clothing for myself? It can surely calm our nerves down, not to mention the necessity."

"Yes, and I hope that you are not as much of a pain in the ass to deal with." She huffed.

* * *

Lana was just wandering around the mall after changing back into her old outfit in a different clothing store. The more she thought about it, the more she regretted lashing out in the way she did. She didn't usually act that way, and it kind of made her feel bratty.

"_I mean, she was kind enough to give us a roof over our heads, but at what cost? I wish I could get along with her...Wait, was she kind enough, or was she forced to?" _She thought to herself. "_Am I the asshole here?"_

Lana wasn't the type to simply go on rants after people. Usually just her family, but more due to peer pressure, in the situations where everyone was against one. But just by denying who she was, and taking her cap...it just triggered the anger in her. "_What the hell even was that?_ Who does she think she is?"

In the middle of her thoughts, one of the stores to her left caught her eye. It was a pet store. And that's when she remembered the fire. She didn't remember seeing any of the pets make it out of there.

"Cliff, Charles, Walt, Geo..." As far as she knew, her pets, Gary, and Hops, her best friend, were gone. Tears formed in her eyes. She wanted to go sit down somewhere, but just couldn't look away. Those animals had her gaze fixed, even with her eyes watering.

If… if you made it… any of you…" Lana said, forcing herself not to sob. "Please... If a God exists... give me a signal…"

"_Yip yip yip_." She heard, coming from the store, apparently towards her. Her eyes trailed down to the window, where there were a few different puppies in a pen. If there was one thing that could cheer Lana up, it was her pets, or any animals at that. One of the puppies even looked a little bit like Charles did when she first found him all those years ago.

"Aww, those are some cute little boys. And girls." Lana said, going near them. While she couldn't exactly go inside nor the dogs outside their cages, she enjoyed just seeing them. "How ya doing, little ones?"

"_Yip yip!"_

"I wish I could bring you guys home, but things are a little hard for me right now."

Some of them tilted their heads in bemusement, then continued barking like before. Some of them weren't even barking at Lana, they were just barking for no reason.

"Wish I could understand what you're saying. It's probably easier there where you are. I know being in a cage sucks, but… at least you got food, water, shelter… and you're all allowed to just be your doggy selves... though I wonder... would you rather be free than having all this?"

"Look, kid, are you going to buy anything or not?" The store manager asked.

Lana sighed and looked back. "Sorry mister, I'll be going now. Bye, puppies." She sadly waved goodbye to them and left the store. At least she was feeling somewhat better than before.

"Oh, there you are!" A familiar voice exclaimed, and the woman Lana didn't really want to see right now was approaching her, with Lisa right behind. "I hope you had your little fun, Miss. I've been looking after you for minutes, and since you weren't there, I chose all your clothes for you! Why aren't you like your younger sister? She's weird, but obedient!"

Lana froze up and looked at Lisa who seemed to be hiding behind Karen. Though she had a small smile on her face, and she winked her eye towards Lana.

"Now let's go now! I don't have more time to lose with you. I have lots of work to do home!" She explained.

And so they left the mall, with both Lisa and Lana wondering what was in store for them. Lana mentally prayed that whatever clothes were chosen for her wouldn't end up making her look like a fairy princess or something. She knew it probably would, but one could have hope.


	6. Hope Shines In The Dark

Back at the Marltons' house in the bedroom reserved for the Loud kids, the atmosphere had calmed down somewhat. There was still some tension that filled the whole house as it usually did, coupled with the fiasco at the mall. With time, however, things had cooled down.

The two Louds walked inside with their hands filled with plastic bags from the store. It was heavy, and Karen didn't really bother helping carrying all of the clothes she purchased for them. As soon as they walked inside, they both dropped their stuff on the floor.

"So, elder sibling...how's your...uh...well… how can I explain?...How's your mood?" Lisa asked.

Lana faced her with a blank expression. "Better than before, but under this face I'm still pissed." She said in a high-pitched tone.

"It's pleasing to hear you've calmed down."

"Yeah, I guess. So… how much torture did you have to go through with her?" Her tone returned back to normal.

"You'd not believe that she's not as despicable when you cooperate with her." Lisa admitted. "While clothes shopping is one of my least favorite activities, she didn't make it any less bearable."

"Really? How can you stand her?"

"I assume I present either a capacity of obeying people by my own will, or I possess the ability to fade to a completely subconscious state of thought."

"Well, one thing's for sure is that you sure are lucky. We've barely been in this house and I already cannot stand the thought of spending another moment with her. I'm jealous of Tim and Edward and Nathan too, how do they do it?"

"Well, you must also take into consideration they've lived with her for a much larger period of time than us… so I'm not sure if you should feel jealous of them." Lisa said, sitting on her bed. "I must say, carrying all this mass from clothing made my vertebral column and my pelvis present muscle pain. Ah, such a relief to release the weight."

"Jeez, did she buy the whole store?" Lana asked, glancing at the massive amount of bags they had to bring in. They covered the front pathway on the floor from the door to the other end of the room, at the foot of their beds. "And all of it filled with probably the frilliest things you could imagine."

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure about the last statement." Lisa stood up, and stretched her back. "In spite of agreeing the volume is tremendous, I would say not all is 'frilliest things you can imagine'."

Lana quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She went through one of the bags at the front of her bed and pulled out a casual-looking tee shirt with a pawprint on the front. Although normally such a thing wouldn't be nearly as surprising, she couldn't help but gasp in shock. Her blank face and small fake smile started to stretch into a wider, genuine one. "H-how- I-I thought she was gonna get r-revenge for my freakout and m-make it worse. How did-" She stammered before getting cut off by Lisa.

"I suspected our host wasn't one to pay much attention or have much notion of math." Lisa began. "So after I noticed she was distracted on the phone, and read Timothy's name on the credit card, I could confirm she wouldn't even be aware of the price of her purchase, thus giving me the opportunity to add a considerable amount of clothing more… suited to your style. Pardon me, it's not exactly what I'd go for, but you need to understand my time was limited. And as a result, we have a larger amount of clothing."

"That… that's so sneaky and awesome at the same time! My god, I love you!" She scooped Lisa in her arms in a tight hug. "But what if she notices me wearing these other clothes and realizes something's up?"

"_Sibling!" _Lisa exclaimed: "_I...require… oxygen!"_

"O-oh!" Lana released the hug. "Sorry, guess I don't know my own strength there. You alright?" She apologized.

"Yes.. .now that I can breathe." Lisa giggles a bit. "Now, considering your relationship with her, I'd assume the most she wants is to avoid eye contact with her." Lisa said. "Just wear the clothes on the few instances you know she'll be on your surroundings. And I heard her discussing a meeting with her friends, so I'd assume she doesn't stay in the house most of the time."

"Well dang, feeling's mutual. So basically, wear the frilly stuff whenever she's on my ass but I can go back to feeling comfortable when she's not as aware? That sounds neat."

"It's the best I could provide… despite the slang terms you used…"

"The slang terms?"

"Just ignore my last sentence." Lisa said.

"Oh. Well, I'm still really grateful. See, I thought I was gonna be in 'girly Hell' for the rest of our time here, and you just saved me from damnation."

"I'm...not sure if such a thing could be considered Hell, but just take it as a favor." Lisa said. "And now, I'd like to take a shower!" Lisa announced. "...As soon as I find a complete set of clothing."

"Alrighty, have fun with your shower."

After Lisa found a set of a shirt, trousers and underwear, after a long scavenge and a lot of bags spread, she left her room while Lana just stayed laid down on her bed watching. She then headed to the door. "Are you sure you won't take one as well?"

"I don't take showers if I can avoid them. You know me."

"I am aware… but it's been almost two days. Are you sure you wish to remain dirty?"

"Yep, that's me, ridin' dirty!" Lana grinned and did the pointed finger gun gesture.

"If you weren't my sibling, I'd have started researching your mental stability." Lisa assured, shaking her head and giggling a bit.

As she made her way to the hallway, following her way towards the bathroom, and hoping there's a towel inside that she could use for when she was finished, she could just imagine how good hot water would feel, as a relief to the cold air and the back pain. She reached the door and tried to open it. It was locked.

"Occupied!" She heard a voice from inside.

"Oh, damn." Lisa said. "Apologies!"

"Edward spends a really long time in there during his showers. No use standing outside the whole time!" Another voice called out to her from another room.

"Oh, I haven't seen you there." Lisa said. "So, I presume I should just attempt and return later?"

"Pretty much. I dunno why he has to take so long, but you'd be lucky if there's hot water by the time he's done." Nathan said, peeking his head out of the room he and his older brother now shared.

"Oh… I actually hoped there'd be some in store for me… my vertebral spine needed the warmed liquid to relax faster."

"Uhh, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, just mentioning the slight pain I've acquired after carrying an excessive amount of mass for an extended period of time."

That only confused Nathan even more. "I wish I knew what you were saying, but I really don't, with all these big words and stuff!"

"Don't your parents provide you with a well structured education so you may understand the discussion of people with a less mundane vocabulary?"

"Okay, that I understand, and no they do not. Probably because I'm in middle school."

"Well, I'm in Elementary." Lisa claimed. "Sure, by choice, in order to improve social interaction capacity, otherwise I'd be already working full time on my scientific career, but according to age and time spent on school, I'm a fifth grader."

"Scientific career, huh? And what degree, huh?" He asked with suspicion.

"Well, if it's your concern, I possess PHD's in Physic-Chemistry, Biochemistry, Quantum physics, Computer science, Organic Chemistry…" And Lisa continued the list, leaving the boy with his jaw open.

"Wh… a-all of that?! H-how? How do you even manage all of that?" He asked in awe.

"Let's just say my brain is developed in a level most would consider a 'prodigy'. Though I must recognize that such as mine is quite a rare happening in the history of mankind."

"No way! Are you talking about Savant Syndrome?"

"I wouldn't exactly precise such condition, as it implies low IQ scores, which aren't in agreement with mine, however it's not an refutable hypothesis."

"Oh. Hey, while you're waiting for my brother, wanna chat for a bit?"

"I presume that's what we're doing right now, therefore we shall continue." Lisa said. "What exactly were you doing before you've warned me of your sibling?"

"Well, I meant in my room. And I was just playing Aether Gateway 2. It's got puzzles and sassy evil robots in it."

"Hmm...the puzzles sound more interesting to me than 'sassy evil robots'. Mind if I observe? Perhaps I could come for some aid?"

"Sure, maybe you'll come to like the sassy evil robots too. It's insanely hard, though. There's this one level that's been a total pain for the past half an hour."

"Really? May I ask why though?"

"It's all these darn obstacles that get in my way, and-"

Suddenly, Edward burst out of the bathroom soaking wet and with only a towel wrapped around his waist. "Alright, I'm do- _what are you doing near my room?!_"

"Uh...awaiting for you to finish whatever you were doing in the bathroom?" Lisa answered.

"I-I was showering! What else would I be doing? And who gave you permission to be near my room? It's bad enough that I gotta share it with _one_ dweeb, I don't need another in there!"

"First of all, the only intention I had to be in the hallway in this position was to wait for you. Second of all, your sibling was talking to me, and since you're sharing rooms with him, I'd assume he could give me permission if he desired. Lastly, there's plenty of things one can do in the bathroom. Urinate, defecate, brush their teeth, take a shower, take a bath, comb their hair, mas-"

"Okay okay, stop, you can stop!" He waved his hands in the air and turned his head away. "Just don't go in there again, alright?"

"I haven't actually entered in the first place, but fair enough, I shall not enter it." Lisa said. "May I use the bathroom now?"

"Yeah, go ahead." Edward said, a bit frazzled.

He started walking towards his room while Lisa walked into the bathroom. She could hear him saying something along the lines of "You were gonna let her into my room?!" along with Nathan yelling back "It's my room too, you know!" She decided it wasn't worth paying attention to another petty argument. She just wanted to finally get herself clean, rid of the sweat of two days, and relax under the hot water she wished that still remained.

* * *

A few days later, New Years' Eve arrived. The last day of the year and a day to unwind and not worry about life. Until New Years' Day, anyway. For the two girls, life hasn't been much other than talking, three meals a day, a couple arguments here and there, and straight to bed. While they had every basic necessity one would desire, they still lacked what exactly to do other than being lost in their thoughts. In that day, the two woke early, and were chatting in their room after breakfast.

"You know, Lisa, I'm actually looking forward to starting the new year." Lana said. "Might not be the fresh start we were looking for, but it'll be something."

"I must agree with you, Lana." Lisa said, making her bed, while Lana should've been doing the same, but she never bothered. "Despite a beginning with not much change, from my perspective our situation will change, perhaps even in the first semester of this new year."

"Yeah, who knows where life will take us? Maybe we're in for some sort of adventure. And I dunno how but I've managed to last a whole week without my phone."

"I was referring to our family actually healing and our eventual return to our home… well, our new residence. We will require a new structure to live in other than a pile of ashes and burnt soil."

"Y-yeah… I think about that everyday. And I hope they're being taken care of well." She was about to add in "the ones that were there" but didn't want to sour the mood. New Years' Eve was supposed to be a time for a celebration, after all. Like Christmas. Yeah…

"They probably are. Since our house has basically been destroyed, alongside all of it's furniture inside, probably every single cent of indenization is being directed towards their treatment… saved for a small amount directed to the Marltons for our basic necessities. I do wonder who's actually managing the economic aspect of this whole operation."

"I dunno, probably the treasury or wherever the big money people are. I don't know how any of that even works. Maybe you could teach me?"

"Believe me, learning about economics and politics is somewhat depressive… And I doubt our position is favourable for that. But if you wish, i won't hold you back."

"Oh not politics, screw that. I just meant the stuff about how the economy works."

"Well, it's not exactly my speciality, but in our current situation, where there's no Loud member capable of handling the values, the government keeps it stored, and directs it to the necessities we need, according to each situation, obviously. At least in theory, that's how it should happen." She said, placing her pillow in its place, so her bed was fully done. "A government representative handles our savings, since there's no one capable of doing so that's above the majority age. Despite the Marltons being related to us, they have no right over the money."

"Huh, that's pretty neat actually. So that way there wouldn't be a dispute over it, and we won't have to be chased around by someone trying to get their hands on it, right?"

"Exactly. Or at least in theory. While our income is nothing compared to those you observe in the movies, its value will usually have some sort of deviation from its original destination. Quoting Benjamin Franklin: 'Nothing is certain but death and taxes', if you understand what I mean." Lisa said, sitting on her bed.

"Yeah, I understand. So, what should we do now?" She asked, flopping on her bed in one swift backwards leap.

"Hmm… I'm uncertain. There's no chores to be done, and not much to be considered for distractions. I'm up for options if you have any."

"Well, I found a calculator under my bed last night and it has this option to type in alphabetical letters, so I guess if you wanna use it to type bad words into the calculator and save it into its memory log, we could do that." She pulled out a TI-84 calculator from under the bed. "Dang, it's just as messy under here as it was under my own bed at home."

"I...find that hard to believe, just like i find it hard someone would lose a calculator under a bed." Lisa said. "Definitely Nathan isn't the organized type… or was it Edward who slept here before we arrived?"

"I dunno, but either way they don't seem to like math a whole lot. That, or they didn't figure out how to type cuss words into it."

"You should think more of people just as beings attempting to find offensive or pejorative terms everywhere. Certain people have better objectives than such."

"Yeah, like you I guess. So, you up for it or nah?"

"Have your own fun. I guess I'll just remain into my thoughts." Lisa said, laying down on her bed.

"Ehh, suit yourself." Lana shrugged and started typing away at the calculator, snickering as she did so.

"_Limited brains find joy in the silliest, most pointless, and immature concepts existent." _Lisa said to herself.

"Wait, I know you had this list of paraphilias or whatever they were called. What was the tree one again?"

"Are you referring to Dendrophilia? Also known as arborphilia or dendrophily?" Lisa asked, a bit confused.

"Yes, thank you. I'm gonna start calling people that. I don't know when or who, but I will. And I'm putting all those into the calculator." She chuckled a bit more as she continued her typing. "_Tr-hee-hee-hees…"_

"How...why…" Lisa babbled. That was so random and so illogical, Lisa almost hurt herself in her own confusion. "W-what is even the point of it?"

"You ever call someone a… a-" Lana stopped to let the laughs out a bit. "You ever call someone a tree hugger?"

"I'd prefer something similar to 'Environmentalist' or 'nature appreciator'."

"I like nature. Do you like nature, Lisa? And I kinda wish you still had the list so that I could use them all as insults."

"I admire nature and all its development, plus its importance for the prosperity of multiple species. But I believe I 'like nature' differently from you. Do you understand what I mean?" She said with a grin, while still looking to the ceiling.

Lana wanted to be mad, but she just couldn't bring herself to get angry. Instead, she started laughing even harder. "Oh my god, noooo, _nooooo! _I guess you- you're already using the list for that." She doubled over, clutching her sides. "You know what, I'll give you a pass. That was good."

"I appreciate your approval over this topic." Lisa said, giggling. "Despite not being of my common habits to make such jokes."

"Hey girls, you two in there?" They heard a noise, followed by a knock on the door. "I gotta talk to you two 'bout something."

They both got up, with Lana hiding the calculator under her pillow, and walked towards the other side of the room and opened the door.

"Yeah? What's goin' on, Timothy?" Lana asked.

"I gotta handle some stuff in the hospital your parents and sisters are."

"Uh...we also have a brother." Lisa corrected.

"Ya do? I heard there were 10 or something of you...Ah well, with so many girls he's probably a pussy too." He said, earning a couple awkward looks mixed with a giggle or two. "Anyways, I'd imagine you'd like to see how things are going for them… or maybe not, but I wanted to let you know."

"Is there any news on how they're doing, and if their condition has improved?" Lisa asked.

"I heard nothing bout that, girl. But then again, only thing hospitals are worried to tell me is that bills are not getting paid and that I'm not taking sleeping pills."

"So we're visiting them?"

"Your choice. I'm heading out in ten minutes, your choice of coming or not." He said, as he walked away from the door. The two girls looked towards each other.

"Should we?" Lana asked her little sister, remembering how their last visit went.

"I...assume I'm more prepared for what we are seeing. And besides, even if it's not better than before, it can't be any worse."

"Alright then, we'll go."

And so the two girls made their way downstairs, following the host of their temporary home. His car to drive there was something they would say looked as old as Vanzilla, considering the fading paint, but the thing seemed to still move, so it worked for them. Besides, if Vanzilla could have still been running for as long as it did, then so could this car.

The ride from the Maltons' house to the hospital was longer than the first trip, as they were out of town. Luckily, it still wasn't too bad of a ride. The radio was playing some West Coast rap along the way. That made it somewhat more enjoyable for Lisa until they finally stopped at the parking lot.

"Aight girls, here we are." He said, getting out of the vehicle. "You two go find your family, and I'll deal with whatever they want me to deal with. _Hmpf!_" He said, walking inside, not even checking to see if the girls were following him. They were, though slowly and with trepidation while mentally preparing themselves for whatever they may see.

"Excuse me, where you two think you're going?" A nurse stopped them from roaming around unsupervised.

"We're Lana and Lisa Loud, here to see our family, hospitalized due to burn injuries." Lisa explained.

"Oh… I see." The nurse said. "The whole hospital heard about the accident a few days ago. I'm sorry for you two."

"Yeah… I just hope they're okay…" Lana muttered.

"Just follow straight and turn to the right at the end of the hallway. You two can't miss it."

They nodded and followed the nurse's directions. Each step made them feel more and more uneasy. Despite already being there once, they never had the opportunity to actually see all of their family members...or the ones that were alive, at least.

"Since a few days before… hospitals prove to give me a bad feeling about our current situation, despite being dedicated to aid people's health."

"I used to not like going to the doctor's office or the hospital because of shots. Between this and that, those are the least of my worries."

"So you lost your fear of needles?"

"Well I wouldn't say that. Now I'm afraid of hospitals in general."

"I understand." She said, as both walked straight to the familiar door that lead to the beds of their unconscious and burned relatives. "So… are you ready?"

"Yeah, are you?"

"Affirmative."

They took a deep breath and let it out before walking into the room. They tiptoed towards the beds where their afflicted family members rested, bracing themselves for what they may see. They went towards their father and youngest sister first. Seeing what they've already saw was a way for them to prepare for what they'd potentially see.

"Now that see Lily… it's still outrageous and disgusting, but now bearable." Lisa commented staring straight downwards.

"And the same goes for everyone else. I guess after the initial shock, it's not as surprising." Lana said.

"So… I assume we should look towards the others?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah. I guess."

They went over checking up on them, both how they looked and their vitals. Their condition hadn't changed much from the last time they checked, though they did improve slightly, though barely visible unless you've paid a lot of attention. So far the one that was faring the best was Leni.

"Compared to the others, Leni seems to have a better situation." Lisa said. Leni's face was almost intact, save for a couple small marks, and her hair seemed a bit burnt out. Her arms were completely wrapped though, and hints of worse injuries could be seen under her neck going down the rest of the chest.

"Yep. She sure does." That was all Lana could say at this point. What else was there to say about what they were seeing in the room?

"I'd say she was lucky...and that her recovery might be slightly faster than the other two we've seen." Lisa concluded. "Do you… want to continue with the others?"

"Since we didn't see the rest of them, I guess we might as well."

"Okay… there's only one more in this room, and so the other four are located in the room besides where we currently are… let's just do this." Lisa said, as she went towards the last bed.

Laying on it was a girl, which eliminated Lincoln from the list of possibilities. Short, and half of her face was deformed by the burn scars, just like half of her brown hair was missing. It was almost like those graphs, half showing the outside of a person, the other showing its muscles and other insides.

"My guess… Lynn Loud Jr." Lisa said.

"Seems she got the worst of it… there's gotta be some story behind that."

"Perhaps there is… on the bright side, if seen by a certain angle, her visual appearance hasn't changed one bit. Unlike Lily, who got her face completely covered by injuries, though not as deep."

"Yeah… and to think that this all happened on Christmas Eve…"

"It's… disgraceful… and astonishing."

"You can say that again."

Suddenly, a small and dark figure darted past them, so fast some could not even notice.

"Ey Lisa, did you see something?" Lana asked and nudged her shoulder.

"Hm? I haven't seen anything." Lisa said.

The figure passed through then another time, this time both seeing it clearly going to the corner. They both backed up a bit, afraid of whatever that black blob was. Then it came back, staring at them with yellow eyes. It meowed.

"C-Cliff?" Lana stuttered.

"What?" Lisa said. "There's no possible way it's Cliff. It's probably just someone's cat that escaped their sight and somehow entered here."

The cat meowed again and started walking towards them. When it got there, it started rubbing up against their legs, swishing its tail back and forth. Lana knelt down to be within eye level with the cat as well as she could, and held her palm out in front of it. It pressed its head into it and nuzzled her hand, purring. She responded by petting it a little. "Really, I think it's Cliff! He saw us and recognized us."

"But… just how?" Lisa asked. "If they were outside the house and escaped the fire… but how did it even end up here?"

"_Where is that damn-_" they heard a voice opening the door of the room they were in, and spotted the same nurse that gave them the directions not many minutes earlier. "Oh, there it is. I've been looking everywhere for that cat."

"You know this cat?" Lana asked and picked him up, cradling him a bit.

"If I know it? Almost the whole hospital knows about it. One day or two after your family arrived, I think, this cat was found inside one of the ambulances with a dog. By the address in the collar, we knew their house was burned down, so we took care of them until-"

"So it _is _Cliff!" Lana gasped. "And you said there was a dog here too? Was it a white pitbull with a black spot over his right eye, by any chance?"

"I think it was… I just heard about the story, I normally don't look after them… but I can take you where it is being kept." The nurse said.

"That would be awesome if you could!" As she followed behind the nurse she whispered to Lisa, "_Man, this week sure has been eventful, to say the least. All these twists and turns."_

"You don't have to whisper nor mention it." Lisa replied. "I'm still wondering how they escaped though… give me a few hours and I might have a theory."

"Uhh, okay. I mean, we do have the doggie door though. Or well, we did."

"Hmm..I'll take that into consideration. Now let's make sure Charles actually is alive."

The two followed the nurse until they reached what seemed to be a veterinary section of some sort. A large number of animals were present, some with their owners besides them, but most in what seemed to be an open area outside the hospital, kind of a dog park filled with… well, animals. The two began searching the area with their eyes through a glass window, when one animal in particular, which was resting in the corner and caught the attention of Lisa.

"Lana… is that who I think it is?" She asked, pulling her sleeve.

They went up to get a closer look at it. It was a dog, exactly the way Lana had described it.

"I… Charles?" She lightly tapped on the glass to wake him up. He did and walked over to the window.

"Is that your dog?" The nurse asked "I can go out there and get it for you."

"I think so. He was with the cat, right?"

"I… I'm honestly not sure. I think he was… yeah, it's probably the one with the cat."

"Could we maybe check the collars just to be sure?" She asked as she checked Cliff's and confirmed that the address was indeed the one for her old home.

"Sure, come with me." The nurse said.

She led the two girls through a glass door, and the moment that the two crosses to the other side, the dog they were looking at charges at them, more specifically, at Lana, and tackled her to the floor. Not one second later, the dog began lcking her face in excitement.

"Settle down, boy! I'm glad to see you too!" She giggled, sitting herself up and hugging the pooch. Cliff jumped to the ground and sat down next to them. "I missed the both of you!"

"She's… quite an animal lover, if you didn't notice." Lisa commented to the nurse.

"And how could I not be? But wait, were there any other pets there? Or at least any signs of them at the house when they went there?"

"Uh…" The nurse started thinking a bit. "No, I don't think so. The only ones that came with the ambulance were those two. I don't know if they found any on the house or its surroundings."

"Oh…" She looked down at the ground, then back at Cliff and Charles. "At least… at least they made it." She petted them a little bit and stood up. "And thank you."

"No problem." The nurse said. "I think that, if you want, you can even take them home with you."

"Yeah?"

"Of course. I mean, they're yours, after all."

"That's true. Just hope the Marltons let us." She said the last part with uncertainty.

"Well, why don't we ask Timothy then? Perhaps we can get his authorization?" Lisa suggested. "As soon as we discover where his current location is."

"I think he might be either in the waiting room or talking with one of the doctors around here."

"Well then, let's go after him!" Lisa exclaimed.


	7. Fire Works

_**(A/N): So somewhat like chapter 6, this is more of a breather episode but a shorter one. Seriously, last time was the first time we hit over 5k words. Ey, even darkfics can use some wholesome in them. Anyway, happy Monday and catch you guys here next week in chapter 8!**_

* * *

"There he is!" Lana excitedly exclaimed.

The two girls plus the two pets have been wandering around the hospital for quite some time in the search of the one taking care of them. Despite the size of the place being extreme, the main lobby proved to be the best place to start, as they immediate managed to get information on his last known location.

Timothy looked up from the book he was reading while sitting in one of the waiting rooms. "Oh, there you are- wait a minute… since when do they let animals into a hospital?"

"As a matter of fact, this hospital seems to have a veterinary section coupled in the same infrastructure." Lisa explained, breathy heavily. "But these are no ordinary animals. They're ours… they've managed to survive the fire of… our house."

"What? How? And how did they end up here?"

"I thought that was impossible at first too, but one of the nurses said they were found in the back of the ambulance." Lana said. "Cliff over here came in and ambushed us while we were visiting… them."

"Huh… I never thought that'd happen… _I don't even remember you had pets to begin with._" He admitted, the last part a bit quieter. "So… what exactly do we do with them?"

"We'd desire to obtain your permission to bring our pets home… if your answer is positive, only a couple papers must be signed."

"Well…" He felt something cold touching his hand and saw Charles looking up at him and sniffing his hand. He petted his head a little bit. "I remember when I brought a puppy home one day when I was a kid, but I wasn't allowed to keep it. Ever since then I've wanted a pet… And I don't have the courage to refuse two girls not have their pets after what happened… Sure, we can take the two home… just make sure they don't shit in my room."

"Don't worry, we will take care of them." Lisa assured.

"And my chore at home was always to clean up after the pets, so that won't be a problem." Lana added in.

"Well then… ugh." Timothy said, standing up. "Show me where I have to sign, and let's get back home. I finished what I had to deal with anyways."

They went and did just that, leading him to the receptionist. He took the papers and signed it as quickly as he could to get it over with, and soon they were driving back home with two new passengers in the backseat. During most of the time, Lana was playing with the two reencountered friends… and Lisa just looked at the 3, with a small smile on her face. Even if the drive is usually long, the pets sure made it go a bit faster.

"Ah, this reminds me of my childhood. Ya know, back in the day, I found this small dog just wandering around in front of my house. I tried to bring it home, but my father for some reason was scared of the dog. Said it could have rabies or some shit like that."

"I mean, there would be a way to tell before bringing it in, right?" Lana asked.

"It was different times. I was just a kid, and my father was almost blind." He explained. "Anyways, as much as it broke my heart, I couldn't keep it. I think a neighbor took him or something."

"Oh. Well, at least he got a nice home anyway. And you've got Charles over here too now." She pointed at the dog, who just panted while looking outside the window.

"Ah, that's for sure. They'll make a better company than my wife, just like you two do. I swear, one day I'll still divorce her. You have any idea how much she bought the day she took you shopping?! She almost blew up my card, and I bet half of the stuff was for herself!"

Lisa didn't bother saying anything and chose to look out the window with Charles instead. Lana had to try hard to not laugh a bit.

"Oh yeah, I'm surprised the store still had stuff to sell after that." She said instead, trying even harder not to burst out laughing.

"Lesson to you two kids. If you ever marry someone… if you don't prefer to be single or all that, do it under Total Separation Of Estate rules. You don't want to deal with someone stupid ruining all you've built. Wish I had listened to my father. He had a ton of these tips, some I ignored, some I remembered."

"He sounds like a pretty wise guy. Also, what's Total Separation Of Estate?"

"You see girl, when you get married, there's some… agreements you make with your husband or wife, based on what you decide about the property you two posses… Not sure if this is still up, I don't really bother with it, but back in the day, you either share all of your goods, so assuming you get a divorce, half the property the couple possesses is split in half. There's partial separation, where everything you've acquired before the marriage is yours, and what's gotten after is split, of total separation. Everything you had on your name is yours, and you don't split anything."

"Huh, that's pretty neat. Hope those rules will stick around. For the future and stuff like that."

"You seem like girls that can handle yourselves quite well. Don't make the mistake of being submissive to some jerk guy out there."

"_Yeah, guy, heh…" _Lana whispered to herself, hoping nobody heard it. Lisa looked at her with a weird expression, but Timothy just kept facing the road.

"So, tell me, when did ya get the pets?" He asked.

"I brought them in when I was really little. Probably when I was 4 or 5 or something, and back then Charles was just a puppy and Cliff was just a kitten. There were a lot of strays back then in Royal Woods."

"Ah, I see… so you were the one to find them?"

"Yep, and… all the other pets too. There was more… those were good times."

"More, uh?" Timothy said, curiously. "How many?"

"I've lost count long ago, but I remember there was also a bird named Walt, a hamster named Geo… well, three Geo's since you know how hamsters are. And a fish named Goldie and I still have no idea who flushed her. And those are just the family pets, and I brought in a lot of reptiles like this huge snake named El Diablo who was actually a sweetheart, and this little frog from a pond I liked to swim in named Hopps. I also had another frog named Seymour, but he just disappeared. And I once brought a wolf home but after a day of being there we had to release him." She stopped and finally caught her breath after rambling on for so long.

"Holy shit gal, you remind me of a friend I had back in the day." Timothy exclaimed. "He was so crazy for animals, his house was like a zoo. Birds, dogs, cats, and everything. I swear, one time we went to his house, and he lived next to these woods where his bigger pets stay… man, we went there to leave food for the pets, a tiger showed up in between the trees."

"Whoa, how was he able to bring a tiger home? I mean, I know I brought a few wild animals too but still. Oh, and did he let you pet the tiger?"

"The tiger wasn't his! We literally had to run back home. Luckily none of us got hurt that day. There's just one problem though, the boy insisted that we had to save the other animals."

"So wait, did the tiger escape from the zoo or something?"

"I don't have a fucking clue. What I know is that we started going into the forest to get his pets out of danger. My God, there's this cat that somehow got up a tree, and this friend went to get it. He learned the worst way possible that sometimes trees aren't good hiding spots." He started laughing a bit. "That thing started climbing after it."

"Damn…" Was all Lana could say.

"Certain felines are capable of climbing trees naturally, but it's definitely a scary situation."

"Yeah yeah. But the boy left out untouched. One more life lesson kids, there's nothing scarier than a 45 year old 200 pound pissed of mother who just woke up, with a fuckin' shotgun."

"Even scarier than a tiger trying to eat you?"

"Definitely! When we saw her walking outside, we weren't sure if it would fire at us or the tiger. She shot the air, making the tiger run out in the woods. We would've ran to her if we weren't shittin' our pants looking at her."

"Looks like it messed with the wrong people, then."

"Surely did. Ah, I miss the old times."

And they continued talking about various things until they got back to the house. By then, a few hours have passed of the last day of the year. They weren't aware they've stayed so long out of the house just chatting while driving, and some part of it they just remained parked in front of the house.

The two girls walked in by the pets behind them. They quickly went towards their room, to show them where they were living, to have some sort of privacy, and for Cliff to have fun tearing of dozens of empty plastic bags neither of the girls bothered throwing away yet.

"Hey, Lisa?" Lana asked. "I know Tim said we could keep them, but what's Karen gonna say?"

"Hmm… I believe she's gonna say words in English." Lisa theorized, laying on her bed. "Now, if you refer to what she'll think about bringing Charles and Cliff to this house… her approval of the situation is debatable."

"Yes, that's what I mean. I know she doesn't like me, but she seems to be okay with you."

"I assume I haven't given her any reason to despise me…" she said staring at the ceiling. "Not that your behavior is despicable, but you must recognize her pattern and standards differ from our own family."

"You know, sometimes I wonder if I'm the one being an ass. I don't _try _to be, things just… happen."

"Hm?" Lisa said, sitting down, noticing Cliff by her side, who immediately jumped on her lap. "Lana, your behavior is different… _and sometimes potentially hazardous for your own health… _But understand that you know how to behave in every environment but formal ones." She said, petting the cat, who purred back.

"Like what, eating trash? I've been doing that for a while and I've been fine. And yeah, I just can't do that formal, dressy uptight stuff. It's just too restricting."

"Exactly, but you were not in a scenario in which such behavior was necessary. A shopping mall is a casual place. And even if your behavior wasn't the most mature back there, Karen wasn't very mature, acting as a younger person than what her age suggests."

"Yeah, no kidding. So I guess both of us have a bit of an anger problem. Is that what it is?"

"I cannot precisely state as such, primarily since I'm no psychologist… but people having anger outbursts isn't a synonym of anger issues. Especially since what happened to us, having humor variations is something expected. Such traumas can change people in fantastic ways."

"They really can. And really quickly too, if that incident is anything to show about that."

"Just one more proof that, as much we imagine that we dominate our behavior completely, nature and its happenings are the ones to actually control it."

"So even after millions of years of evolution, we still have our animal instincts, huh?"

"Partially, yes. Just because the human being is rational doesn't mean it's free from instinct and instant reactions. We're not in full control of what we do based on the current situation. We're at the mercy of how strong we can control our reactions."

"So that's what they mean when they talk about the 'beast inside' I guess. Some of us let it out more often than others."

"That's correct." Lisa said, standing up. "Our body is full of instantaneous responses and reactions we don't control, humor wise or movement wise. For instance." Lisa went towards Lana who was sitting in her bed, and hit her left knee, which made her leg instantly kick forward. "One of the most common tests of reflexes."

"Oh yeah, like at the doctor's office. I used to think they did it so that they could see how fast you could run away from a needle or something."

"Nope. It's to test how well your nerves are working. Since these work on instant reactions, and not movement you intend to do, we can conclude how well your medulla spine's working. In certain cases, people who have lost movement of their legs still present these reactions, since it's not exactly linked to brain stimulation."

"Huh, that's pretty odd-" She suddenly kicked her leg up after the bottom part of the knee was swiftly but gently tapped by the bony side of Lisa's hand.

"You don't even need to be watching to do so. Like I said. Reflexes. Instant moves, tickling, and other sensations are all defense reflexes to certain stimulations."

"Stimulations, heh."

"Does every scientific term has to be a pun for you?" She asked, turning back to her bed.

"No, only most of them."

"Your attempts of humor around science proves not everyone takes it seriously." Lisa laid down again.

"I can take it seriously, I just find it more fun when you can make dirty jokes with it." Lana casually said and laid down as well. Charles jumped up and curled up next to her.

Just then, they heard a knock on the door, letting the two girls a bit confused. It's not often than someone knocks on the door. Lana stood up from her bed so she could answer it. On the other side, the younger of the two brothers was standing waiting.

"Oh, hey." He said, a bit nervously. "Is… it's Lisa the name, isn't it? Is she in there?"

"Uhh, hi. I'm Lana, not Lisa. But yeah, she's here." She opened the door a little wider and turned around "Yo Lis, someone wants to see you!" She called and stepped away.

"Hm?" She said, standing up and going to the door. "Oh, greetings Nathan. Were you looking for me?" She asked, as the pets followed right behind her, curiously.

"Yeah, I was gonna ask you if you could help me with so- since when did we get pets?" He said, looking towards the floor where a cat and a dog were standing.

"Oh, uh… these were ours from before our house caught fire… we've found them in the veterinary section of the hospital that our family is currently healing in. And your father has agreed to bring them home."

"Nice! What about mom though?" He asked, looking at the two pets.

"We… actually haven't seen her today…" Lisa noticed.

"Oh. I think she's just drinking while watching TV downstairs."

"She… does that?" Lisa asked.

"Not always… just sometimes." He said. "Hey uh… does the dog bite?"

"Not at all. I recall that when my sister and I lived in our old house, there was a burglar scaring us alongside everyone else took extra precautions. I may have gone a little overboard with the alligator pit, though to be fair it would have been much more effective than her trying to train him to be an attack dog. Nothing she tried worked."

"Hey, I just didn't have enough time to prepare!" Lana protested. "And maybe I would have made a better guard dog…"

"Oh… I see." He said. "Do you mind if I pet him? I always liked dogs, though mom doesn't."

"Sure thing. And is she allergic, does she have a phobia, or does she simply not like them in general?" Lisa was a little nervous now, as she realized it would likely be even more difficult to keep the pets.

"I don't know what it is, I guess she just thinks they're all mean, even when that's not true."

"Huh… well, everyone has their preferences." Lisa said.

"I didn't know you liked animals." Lana said.

"Not all of them. I just really wanted to have a dog specifically. Nothing against other animals though." He said, approaching his hand to Charles, who sniffed it a bit, before Nathan could actually pet him a bit. "Huh, this dog seems well trained."

"Yeah, Lincoln and I trained him. Lincoln's my brother, by the way."

"Cool name… and now I'm thinking, do all of your names start with L?"

"Yes, every last one of us. I suppose it's our family motif." Lisa said.

"Your motif? Like… a theme?"

"You could use such a term." Lisa said. "Despite not being of my preference."

"I see… Hey, you know that we have a quite big backyard, would your pets want to hang out in some open space for a bit?" Nathan offered. "I also have some balls from the time I played tennis, if you dog likes to play catch."

"After being in a kennel for a few days, I would imagine that they might appreciate being outdoors again." Lisa declared.

"Yeah, I think Charles and Cliff would like to play a bit. Let's go before it gets dark!" Lana exclaimed.

And so, the group of 3 kids and 2 animals made their way downstairs, guided by the only boy, towards a door in the kitchen. That led them to the backyard. It was a wide open field of grass with a couple trees near the end opposite of the house itself. The wind was a bit cold, though the air seemed slightly better to breath than from the inside.

"Okay, I brought the ball." Nathan said. "So, uh, can I just throw it for him to catch, or…?"

"That, or you could play fetch. Fetch usually works better." Lana answered.

"Okay… uh, what's the name of the dog again? I-I forgot."

"Charles."

"Aight then." He said, showing the dog the ball, as to which he got quite excited. "You're seeing this Charles?" He began to shake it to call his attention even more, before throwing the ball relatively far with his strength. Soon though, the dog came back with the ball on his mouth, and placed it on the floor, panting with a smile and waiting for it to be thrown again.

This time, Lana took it and chucked it even further, near a fence. Once again, Charles came back and placed it on the floor, waiting.

"Haha, this boy is fun." Nathan commented. "Does it know how to do any tricks?"

"Yeah, watch this." She turned her attention to him. "Roll over." She instructed and snapped her fingers. He did exactly that, rolling on his back and then back to where he started.

"Wow. I never seen one doing it in front of me!" He exclaimed. "Hey, where's your sister?"

"I am right here!" She exclaimed, sitting down on the porch of the back door, her sweater seeming a bit stuffed out.

"Won't you come here and play with us?" He asked.

"I'm grateful, but I refuse. For one, I'm not exactly used to practicing such activities in the open field. Second-" She was interrupted by Cliff's head, who popped up from the hole of her clothes leading to her neck. "I'm making sure Cliff remains warm."

The other two couldn't help but gush an "awwww!" at the scene.

And they remained outside, playing for as long as they wished to until darkness and the cold wind began taking over the land, and all of them went back inside, the boy separating from the group, which headed to their own room.

The four rested a bit until there was only about a few minutes of the current year ending and the new year about to begin, and they were called to go downstairs to join them in the countdown.

"Kids, come here now!" Karen shouted from her spot on the couch, where she had stayed with her husband for a bit. There was an empty wine bottle on the floor by her feet.

"I must say sibling, these last days are seemingly bringing some positive happenings towards us." Lisa said, before they went downstairs. "Perhaps your hope was justified after all."

"See, I told you so. Even when shit's going down, try to see through the brown tint and get to the surface. You get what I'm saying?" Lana replied as she followed her little sister.

"I assume so." She said, as they reached downstairs, the pets remaining in their room. "Well then, lets enjoy these few moments, and hope our streak of luck remains for this new year."

Lana nodded and took a seat on the couch on the far left, away from Karen. Lisa took her seat next to her, and the both of them watched the news channel, waiting for the countdown to start. It would be starting in around 5 minutes, according to the timer being displayed.

For the first time, the whole family seems to be at least tolerating each other's presence. Unlike Christmas, everyone was sort of happy to just be there, watching the New Year's special on the television. And it's in these moments that time seems to last forever to pass, as people start getting excited with an event.

Finally, the final 60 seconds began counting down. And 50 seconds later, they could start the so awaited countdown.

"10…" Timothy said.

"9…" Edward continued.

"8…" Nathan proceed.

"7…" Karen drunkenly slurred.

"6…" Lana announced.

"5…" Lisa pronounced.

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

And an uproar of "_HAPPY NEW YEAR!" _rang throughout the house.

Lana picked up Lisa and hugged her before putting her back on the couch. "Happy new year." She said again, this time much softer and calmer.

"Happy new year for you as well." Lisa replied, a bit quieter than with the others.

The ceremony after the countdown didn't last long. Everyone headed towards their rooms to go to bed a few minutes later, or really to just hang out there and enjoy staying up a bit before conking out. All in all, it had been an eventful yet somewhat nice day. A somewhat nice day that will hopefully leading to a better future.


	8. Burning Tide

Some time had passed into the new year. It was currently around two weeks into January. They hadn't been sent to school, as Karen excused them from it and kept them in the house because, in her words, they "needed some time to recover." This was met with some protest from Lisa and Timothy, though this was perhaps the one thing Lana was okay with.

"I mean, we can stay home, and if the pets do anything, we can get rid of it before she sees it. Yeah we have a lotta chores and stuff, but it's better than having to deal with bullies and stuff that we won't even need in the future, right?" Lana mused while mopping the kitchen floor. "We still didn't need these _stupid maid outfits though…" _She added in bitterly, but quieter.

"_This is extraordinarily disrespectful, humiliating, and despicable._" Lisa groaned under her teeth, as she washed the dishes. "Education is the base of our society, we can't simply be excluded from it! And these outfits are uncomfortable and definitely not fit for the current weather."

"I dunno though, I'm kinda tired of giving people wedgies whenever I see them picking on others. And then leading into a fight, and then leading into detention…"

"I said education. The violent behavior on those too weak or scared to defend themselves from those who consider such people as inferior to them is not something that should be considered that." Lisa stated. "Just because they happen in the same establishment doesn't mean both are the same."

"Alright, you've got a point, but c'mon, when are we ever gonna use pi? Or even _half _the stuff we learn in algebra?"

"Well… okay, we both know that you possess a high interest in car functioning and repairing, correct?" Lisa asked, rinsing off the sink, as the dishes have all been cleaned and drying. "Math, or algebra, more specifically, is used as a tool for you to understand everything in it."

"You mean _some _of it is used for car functioning and repairing." Lana replied, putting the mop back in the bucket and moving it out of the kitchen. She got a foot-towel and started drying the floor with it. "I know math itself is important, obviously. But I don't think I would hate it as much if they taught the actually useful stuff in it. And by the way, I _am _gonna be carrying a calculator with me, and I _do _know how to use one."

"Well then, the school made a good job teaching you how to use it." Lisa commented. "The main issue with your complaints is that you're certain that you won't use the math you're taught in your daily basis, but you must understand there are people that will find it useful. Me, for instance. You can trust me when I say pi is not a number that can go unconsidered by scientists."

"I guess, and I guess you could use pi to measure weird things. I dunno what kind of circles you measure with pi, but you do you I guess. But that doesn't justify the other stupid stuff. They expect you to write essays on stupid stuff, like I dunno, carpets. I mean if it was on current events or some historical event, or something else actually worth talking or writing about, fine. But I guess middle school just isn't about that stuff." Lana ranted while she continued cleaning. She also discreetly took off the maid hat she had been forced to wear and hid it behind the refrigerator.

"Where did this sudden hatred from school come from?" Lisa asked, grabbing a rug to help Lana with the floor. "I know it's not your favorite place, but today you seem especially annoyed by its existence."

"I don't hate school, I just think it should improve if it's gonna be worth waking up at 7 in the damn morning for. That, and I've been stressed about other stuff, I guess. Then again, at least I don't have to wear this shit to school." She pointed to the frilly outfit she was wearing.

"Well, many people conclude as such. People's minds get corrupted with power. Some faster than others, causing… strange things to happen. These are all over history."

"What kinda power are you talking about?"

"Any sort of it." Lisa explained. "Once there was a king in Spain who ordered the death of an elephant because it didn't bowed to him."

"Okay, _what?! _Well, now I know why war elephants were a thing."

"That happened centuries after the time elephants were effectively used on war." Lisa clarified. "And back in the time the weaponry wasn't as developed, you can imagine massive beasts who're challenging to kill and with high potential destruction were great for wars."

"No no, _that _I understand. What I don't understand is how narcissistic and stupid someone could be, or how stupid humanity could be to let someone that pathetic rule them."

"It was a different mentality, Lana. You can't think of the past with the brain of a contemporary person. During a long time, kings were believed to be representatives of God himself on Earth, and therefore every command of them should be followed. After the rise of the Catholic Church, you can imagine most people wouldn't question such authority immediately."

"True, true. There was that time that priests charged money to people for a get-into-Heaven-free ticket or something, right? I think that reflects how far into development we've gotten since then."

"Those were the dark times of the Catholic Church. Nowadays their power has fallen, since they mostly don't present any political or economic power. Though some representatives still abuse of their status for their personal benefit." Lisa said, standing up. "Okay, I assume we're done with the kitchen."

"Alright, so… what's next on the list? We got quite a bit of it done already, right?"

"Let me think…" Lisa said, rubbing her chin. "The bathroom is cleaned, the beds were made, the dust was removed from the furniture… did I forget anything?"

"And we got the kitchen and dishes cleaned. What about the other rooms? We're supposed to leave everything spotless, right?"

"Yes… for the sake of the Babylonians who discovered soap, I'm feeling exhausted of cleaning this house." Lisa declared, a bit sad. "Even though our home was bigger, the chores were divided evenly between 11, not 2."

"Yeah, and mine was kinda more like a hobby than a chore so at least it was kinda fun." Lana said as she made her way towards the living room and started mopping there too.

"If I had the equipment perhaps I could make something that'd help us with these chores."

"Like what?"

"Hmm… I'd need a big compartment to fit the main components, the tools to build it, and a bit of electrical equipment." Lisa said. "Huh, like we'd find it all in the dumpster and a washing machine."

"So… ya want me to go dumpster diving? It's been way too long since I last did that, and maybe a good break from all this work."

"Hmm… perhaps… this actually can work after all!" Lisa said, excitedly. "Most people aren't in the neighborhood since they're working, and the house is empty without counting ourselves. We won't be seen doing such. You head towards the dumpsters and and bring me any metallic pieces, cables, and gears you can find. I'll see if I can gather the tools from the garage, and start the operation on the washing machine."

By that point, Lana was grinning ear to ear and her eyes were shining with delight. "Oh hell yeah! And maybe then I could fix up the bathroom in our room too! That's something I've been wanting to do since the day we arrive here…" She sighed dreamily, and ripped off the apron. She was about to do the same with the rest of the outfit but then remembered something. "...right after I change, anyway."

She rushed upstairs, and came back down moments later in her regular attire, along with the hat she cherished. "If anything they'll probably just think it was a raccoon or something. See ya!" With that, she lept out of the open window with the grace of an alley cat and started her search.

"Okay, it's time to gather the equipment…" Lisa said to no one but herself, before she also smiled widely. "Finally some sort of excitement with science in this household." She said, as she headed towards the garage. After the tools were acquired, she made her way to her workbench, which in this case meant the floor in front of the washing machine. She'd need to make some… adaptations.

* * *

After about an hour or two, Lana came back with as much as she could gather. She had several stains of who-knows-what on her clothes and face. She carried two large bones in her mouth, one of which was already half gone, and held her hat filled with as many fragments of metal or metal-containing objects that she could find in her hands.

"Hey Lis, I'm back!" She announced upon arriving at the 'workbench'. She set the hat down next to her and took the bones out, holding the intact one in one hand while using the other to hold onto and chew on the other one.

"Ah, great, great sibling. And just in time." She said, cleaning a bit of sweat from her forehead with her hand. "I believe I've finished the main structure of it. What do you think?"

In front of her, the washing machine had tubes coming out from below and the side of it, and being quite taller than both girls. The inside was open with a wide open space to work with, and on top, there was a cardboard box with a face drawn with markers.

"Uh… the top part was made purely for decorative purposes and because I had finished everything else a bit before your return." Lisa explained. "_It's not because I wanted to draw it. I just wanted to kill time."_

"Aww, I think it's adorable." She pinched Lisa's cheek and chuckled playfully. "Also, you did an awesome job with this baby here. Did I get enough stuff from dumpster diving?" She asked, pointing her thumb at the filled-up hat resting upside down.

"Hmm… the washing machine has more than enough space for what I need to build." She said, going through the pile of scrap that Lana brought. "Let's see...yes, this seems to be sufficient. Barely, but sufficient."

"Also, I nearly got caught by the guy working at the dump, so I had to hide out for a bit and that's why I took a little longer to get back."

"Obstacles often come to face us. What's important is that you've gathered enough. Now I just require one more favor."

"And what would that be?"

"Would you give us both the pleasure of getting rid of the maid outfits that are laying upstairs on our bedroom while I work?"

"Get rid of them how? Like burn them, flush them down the toilet, something more fun to watch…?"

"Just… have fun." Lisa said, grabbing a bunch of the metal and a screwdriver, and going halfway inside the washing machine. "This shouldn't take long… it's just setting the pieces in place… and avoid the burning idea, please."

"Heh heh, will do. And I guess we could just say we lost them if Karen asks. I still have to finish up the living room, though."

She left to go finish the job, all while grinning at the prospect of finally getting rid of the outfits she absolutely detested. This certainly _would _be fun, and there were lots of ways she could think of to make it better. And when that was done, she went upstairs to do what she needed to do. Some form of revenge in a way, or perhaps as a means of protest. Even though she planned to lie about the whereabouts of them later.

She picked them up and knew exactly what the perfect fate for them would be. She carefully opened the door to the broken spare bathroom. The odor socked her in the face, but that only made it better.

"_Ehh, nobody's gonna be here anyway, and I can deal with it when I go to fix it later. Then it'll be strong enough to flush these rags down with ease." _She thought as she walked over and plopped them into the bowl. She would have turned the light on too if the bulb hadn't been broken. She'd have to fix that too. Nonetheless, she was satisfied enough for the moment and laid down on her bed where Charles and Cliff were also resting.

They opened their eyes once they were altered of their owner's arrival. Or well, one of their owners. They moved up towards her, Cliff climbing up the pillow and onto her head while Charles preferred to stay curled up next to her. The three of them fell asleep, heavy enough for it to be peaceful but light enough to be easily woken up later.

Meanwhile, Lisa was looking at her creation, checking if everything was in order. "Let's see, power connections done, stable balancing system, motor based on electric charges plugged in. Perfect, now it just needs an electrical charge, and it will start cleaning… or at least I hope so."

Lisa started pulling the robot towards the living room, placing it right at the entrance. While it definitely was no easy task to have a robot the size of a washing machine to move towards a house, she made sure she had installed sensors and her programming wouldn't allow it to bump into anything major. She just hoped Edward wouldn't notice his laptop had been used.

* * *

The sky darkened to signal that nighttime had arrived, and so did Karen and Timothy.

"We're home, kids!" Tim shouted. "Wow, this place looks like a new house!"

The four kids raced downstairs to greet them.

"I believe I made a good choice in keeping the girls home, then." Karen smugly said.

"Just because the place is tidy doesn't mean I agree with letting the two handle the job." Tim complained. "But even so, ya did a good job girls. Haven't seen this place as clean since my father bought this place back in 1962. Heh, same year the bathroom broke."

"No it didn't." Karen replied. "I moved with you before it broke."

"A toilet can break many times." Tim said. "Well kids, dinner will be ready later, so you can go back to your stuff."

And that they did, though Lana was a little bit behind. "_Well it won't be breaking again now that I took care of it." _She thought to herself with a smile on her face.

And then, the two girls went back to their room and reunited with their pets. Despite Lana being the one who handled animals the best, for some reason Cliff preceded to go after Lisa, unlike Charles.

"I'd say this was quite a productive day." Lisa commented. "We won't have to work as hard anymore, we got rid of those outrageous outfits, and we even have time to re engage in our hobbies."

"Yeah, and not only did I get to go dumpster diving again and get a nice little snack, I also managed to get the spare bathroom fixed." Lana boasted pridefully. "You still might not wanna go there before I find an air freshener, because _damn _it really is something."

"You actually managed to fix it?"

"Of course. It wasn't easy, but that thing is working… as best as it could. If I could buy some parts, it would be 100%"

Meanwhile, Karen decided to head to check on the clothes. While she did find them nice and clean as she ordered, there was another peculiarity - a robot the size of a washing machine. She certainly did not remember that getting there. And also the fact her washing machine was a… something else machine. Looking for answers and having two suspects in mind, she headed upstairs as well.

"You two girls, what have you done?!" Both girls heard from the hallway before the door being open quickly. The two were quick to make the pets go under their beds' sheets to be hidden.

"Uh… you'll have to be a little more specific." Lisa said.

"Why was there a huge robot where the washing machine should be?!" Karen demanded. She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Oh...that." Lisa said. "We built it to help with the cleaning. And despite me being the creator, I must say it's quite effective as well, according to my calculations."

"I believe I remember specifically telling you two to do it yourselves! That's why I kept you two from s- I mean, that's what you can use all your free time for since you're not in school."

"Oh c'mon, it still gets the job done well, and we'll still be doing _some_ of the chores since it doesn't do everything." Lana chimed in. Her eyes glanced at the lump under the sheets and held onto it in an effort to keep it from getting noticed by Karen. It was hard enough keeping the pets hidden from her in general, and an even more difficult task whenever she decided to take a trip to their room.

"That's not the point, that's dangerous and- _what's under those sheets?"_

Lisa and Lana fell silent for a few moments, unsure of how to answer. One of them moved and Lana held on tighter.

"Uhhhh… nothing?" Lana tried to lie. She never was the best at lying, however.

"If it was nothing, it wouldn't move! Now show me what you got down there!"

"Y-you don't have to do that, I'm telling you it's nothing!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears and she pulled the sheets back to reveal Charles, who she was hiding. Now it was her turn to remain silent for a bit. Lisa still kept Cliff hidden even if she knew it was basically covering the sun with a sieve

"Who told you that you could bring animals into this house?!"

"Uh...Timothy actually did." Lisa said, in Lana's and her own defense.

"Well then, I'm going to have a little chat with him-"

Suddenly, Timothy burst in, seemingly in a hurry. He had a bit of a worried expression on his face, and he was breathing a bit heavily.

"Ah, just the one I want to see! Do you know what those two did this time?!"

"No time for that, Karen. You two, girls, come with me! Now!"

"What?" Lana asked, confused and worried, but already following him down the stairs. "What happened?"

"The hospital called." He said.

"Yes, and?" Lisa questioned.

"I'll explain everything later, just get in the car. You too, Karen."

They all followed him to the car and drove off. The route was now somewhat familiar with them at this point.

"This isn't over between us." Karen hissed while glaring at them from her place in the passenger's seat.

"Can you stop complaining for five fucking minutes?!" Timothy exclaimed.

"Uh, Timothy, what exactly is going on?" Lisa asked again.

"It's some of your family." He said. "Shit just got worse."


	9. Coughin' Coffin

Needless to say, the trip to the hospital was cramped with worry and nervousness. What was not so obvious was that it was also silent. Timothy was silently speeding through the dark streets of that night, Lisa and Lana remained a bit frightened with their own thoughts, afraid of saying something that would accidentally jinx something and make things worse (even though Lisa did not see such superstitions as logical), and Karen… well she was clearly annoyed that she was dragged on this quick journey for an unknown reason. She never asked to be involved with all this hospital and newcomer stuff.

The arrival was pretty much the same as the last time; speaking to the receptionist, briefly signing some paperwork, getting the hall passes, that sort of stuff. Though, the group of four stuck together while waiting for the news. After the four arrived and dashed to the counter (well, 3, as the woman just walked behind impatiently, yet slowly), Timothy began talking.

"My name's Timothy Marlton." The old man said to the receptionist. "Responsible for Lisa and Lana Loud, I've received an emergency call, and we came as fast as we could."

"Oh, you've arrived. One moment, I'll have someone with you right away."

Not too much time later, a nurse showed up guided them through the corridors towards a different area of the hospital. Though this certainly wasn't the first time they were at this place, and it was in fact starting to become quite familiar with them, they never went to this particular wing.

"And here we are." The nurse solemnly announced.

The four of them looked through a window inside a room. There, a group of people, men and women, tall and short, black and white, were apparently all busy, wearing blue uniforms and surgery masks, examining what seemed to be two people in hospital beds.

"I'm scared to ask, but… who's in here?" Lana asked nervously.

"Lucy and Lynn Loud Senior." The nurse informed.

"Oh… so, why are they in here instead of the other room with everyone else?"

"They… we honestly don't know for sure what happened." The nurse confessed. "Now obviously we're performing the operations to make sure, but our theory is that those two in there… their injuries went deeper than we first presumed."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You see, everyone in your family seemed stable after the first couple days since their arrival, and we were working on the healing procedure… but apparently, Lucy and Lynn Sr had a more severe case than the others. They not only presented skin burn and high concentration of toxic gas on their lungs, which we managed to slowly detox, but their injuries have reached the inside of their bodies."

"O-oh." She stepped back a little bit to take a few deep breaths. "D-Dad… a-and Lucy...t-they will get better, right?"

"We… aren't sure. We're doing as best as we can, but some things are sometimes just out of reach."

"So let me see if I understand, this hospital didn't take the precautions to analyze any possible fatal injuries inside our family's bodies, and now the consequences are appearing?" Lisa asked.

"Well… not exactly…" The nurse said, a bit nervous. "All of the exams showed that everything was normal, except for what's expected after burn injuries, but this… some of their organs, most precisely, the liver and the stomach, presented bad functioning and we quickly had to bring them to the operating room." She then walked in and grabbed the door handle. "I know you two want to see them, but unfortunately, interrupting them could make this already bad situation even worse." The nurse did a 'shoo' motion with her free hand and closed the door.

"We… we can't even see them?" Lana asked, a bit crestfallen.

"It's for the best intentions, girl. If it wouldn't harm them or potentially make the situation worse, I wouldn't stop you."

"You heard the nurse." Karen said. "You can't get in. Deal with it."

"Hey." Lana said, and Timothy at the same time.

"Give her a break. She's just a teen, for heaven's sake. And her whole family is here!"

"And how would you like it if the same thing happened to someone you really loved and _you _couldn't see them?"

"Excuse me." The nurse interrupted. "I understand the situation is not comfortable in any way, but we have some other matters to discuss."

The two adults looked up, while the kids quietly watched.

"And what would that be?" Karen asked.

"Please, follow me." The nurse said.

After another endless trip through white corridors, people waiting to receive medical attention, people waiting for their friends or family to receive medical care, and numbered doors that reached the thousands, they finally reached the one they were heading to.

Going inside, a man, not with a white uniform, but rather a suit and tie, waited in a comfy room, sat behind his desk, which had a plaque saying 'director'. Bookshelves covered most of the walls, matching with the dark wooden floor and red carpet. "Uh, how may I help?" He asked.

"Sir, these are the responsibles for the family in the fire incident, the Louds."

"Right. You're the one we're supposed to be seeing in an urgent meeting, right?" Timothy asked.

"Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Marlton, this is Henry Profitson, director of this hospital."

"Also specializes in heart diseases and responsible for the economics of this establishment." He said, standing up, and went to shake both of their hands, before facing Lisa and Lana. "And I assume you must be the two girls that were lucky?"

"_I wouldn't exactly say 'lucky'..." _Lana thought to herself. "I suppose." She said meekly.

"Well, I won't take much of your time, so I'm gonna go straight to the point. As you may have seen, two of the Louds' condition has… worsened dramatically."

"Okay, proceed." Timothy said.

"The treatment for them is existent, however…" Henry bit his lip. "It's not something cheap. Some of their organs need to be replaced, and that's something that is beyond what their insurance covers."

"Why do people even bother with insurance if it covers nothing?" Timothy complained. "Okay, I get it. How much are we talking about?"

"At the moment, it's looking like around a… 65% increase, and that is only at this moment so that is liable to change. If it does, we will let you know."

"What the fuck?!" Both Karen and Timothy exclaimed after hearing the number, while the girls remained silent.

"Uh… is the value too high, or do you not understand percentages?" Lisa asked. She was quickly shushed.

"How long will that be going on for?" Karen asked.

"We can't precise. They'll need time to heal after the operations. That can take months and-"

"So you're saying that we'll have to pay that value for months?!" She interrupted him. "I already have to deal with these two every day, and one of them is horrible! The other is still bearable."

"_Now I understand your last name._" Timothy said. "_Sigh,_ alright. Lana, Lisa, can you give us a minute? We will have to discuss some things."

The two of them stared for a few seconds, until Lana sighed and lightly tugged on Lisa's arm. "C'mon, let's go somewhere else. Maybe we could check on the others in the room we've been in before."

Karen didn't bother with the girl, but rather her husband, and the two girls just walked away, not exactly sure where to, they've never been in that section before. They just wandered around and around, just wanting to stay away from their family members they knew were worse than before, but couldn't see _how_ worse they got. Though if the state they saw the others in the regular room was anything to go by, that may have been for the best.

"It just occurred to me how big this place is. That, or we've been walking in circles." Lana grumbled, trudging along slower than before.

"Perhaps a combination of both… I'll confess this place lacks a sign system. It's more confusing than Leni's math homework." Lisa agreed.

"At least her homework would actually _have _some signs in it."

"You're… not wrong." Lisa said, a bit confused. "Anyways, eventually we'll have to find some place recognizable… and quick, if possible."

After a few more minutes of walking, they came across a familiar-looking door to their right. The one they've visited a couple of times before, the one that they didn't really enjoy visiting, but they did, due to respect, and worry, and also because there wasn't much two young girls could do in a hospital.

"I assume someone will find us here once it's time to return." Lisa theorized. "Would you rather remain outside of the room, or… enter it?"

"Well… we're here, aren't we? We might as well see how they're doing, right?" Lana said, with a little bit of dread. She couldn't help but wonder what would be in store for them, if anything new.

"Hmm… the second room contains four of our siblings we haven't seen yet." Lisa explained. "Well, three. Lucy wasn't in the first room, yet she was taken into the operating room. So that leaves us with… Lincoln, Luan, and Lori...or was it Leni?"

"I remember seeing Leni before." Seeing how she seemed to have made it out with the least amount of damage compared to the rest, she had some hope that she clung to, that she and Lisa would at least see some of their family again.

They walked into the other room, where there were three hospital beds laying around, separated from each other. One thing that was different from the other room, other than who was laying down, was that there seemed to be several machines operating on them. Heart measurements, oxygen supplies, concentration of different substances on the blood, apparently everything. Beeps could be heard from the machines.

"Wow...they didn't have that much stuff back in the other room. Are they worse here?" Lana asked.

"Unlikely." Lisa said, approaching one of the beds, but to analyze the screens with all the data on the patient. "Probably after our father and sister entered emergency state, all the others have been set so every little disturbance can be noticed and treated quickly." She explained. "_Surprisingly this wasn't done the moment they arrived"._

"I guess that makes sense." She went over to take a look at the screens as well. She wasn't exactly sure what most of the data meant. "So… what do we make of the stuff on the screens?"

"These things are made to analyze almost all of a human's basic signs to indicate they're alive." Lisa said. "I can see the heartbeat is lower than it should be… but considering unconsciousness state, due to lack of oxygen on brain or concussion due to debris, most brain activity is restrained, so there's a low requirement of blood circulation."

"So the stuff we're seeing here… is it good or bad? Relatively speaking, I mean."

"It's… stable, but not ideal." Lisa declared. "Sure, ideal is something not even one percent of the population achieves, but the measurements seem quite regular, all things considered… especially the fact that all of them were unconscious. If someone was awake with these conditions… heart attack."

"Oh…" She went over to check on the first bed in the room. She could tell by the white but a little bit scorched hair, she knew exactly who it was.

"You can relax, obviously when they recover this information should all change… well, most of it." Lisa said. "Despite the high concentration of carbon dioxide _and_ monoxide, which I actually expected to be higher, the main frame seems to be quite positive for the patient. Who am I talking about?" Lisa said, without taking her eyes away from the screen. "And how is he or she looking?"

"I-it's Lincoln." Lana whispered. She was tempted to reach out and caress his cheek, but feared that she might hurt him while in that state. "There's some burns on his face and arms, and his hair is singed. Man, just being here brings back memories. Like that time he and I went to that pageant for some amusement park tickets."

"Hmm…" Lisa mumbled, leaving the screen to join Lana's side. Seeing the only boy of that generation of Louds laying down in that bed, while not more impactful than the others they saw, was still something that got to the two girls. "He… honestly seems better than most of our siblings we've seen so far."

"Like I said before, there's gotta be some story behind that. Or maybe he just has a way of recovering quicker. I don't know."

"Hmm… there's much of this we had to analyze, if it were possible… and if my whole camera system's storing systems hasn't turned into ashes."

"Oh yeah, you had cameras set up everywhere in the house… including the bathroom, for some reason."

"It was for security purposes only!" Lisa exclaimed defensively.

"Uh huh, so that's why there were two in the shower and three over the toilet." Lana said sarcastically and rolled her eyes.

"Uh… those from past times… I was young and less mature… and my studies had different focuses."

"And that's also why you _kept_ the cameras there."

"I… had other priorities… I've not kept observation over those records after a while… I swear."

"Well geez, at this point I hope so. By any chance, you didn't occasionally do check-ups on them, right? 'Cause… ya know. I'm just asking."

Lisa at first didn't answer, remaining silent for a few seconds. "I'm not sure what you mean… but I'm glad I haven't, and partially thankful the records burned to the ground."

She and Lisa moved onto the next bed, where the eldest was laying. Like before, Lisa deciphered the vitals on the screen while Lana inspected the physical damage.

"So what's going on with Lori over here?"

"Hmm, this is...awkward." Lisa said, facing the screen.

Lana quirked an eyebrow and lifted her head up. "Huh?"

"The concentration of carbon monoxide is lower than Lincoln's...but there's an unusual quantity of hydrogen chloride… not enough to be fatal, but something definitely harmful… to the eyes and her lungs, especially. How does she look?"

"There's some more burns but they look... _different _from the others and it's mostly around the eyes. It's more pink than red here."

"The gas probably caused irritation in the area, possibly injuring her vision as a whole, and perhaps leaving permanent sequels to her vision… but it seems it was not enough to cause her death… which means it will slowly be detoxed out of her body… luckily… but there's something awkward about it… if Lincoln didn't get this intoxication, but Lori did, they were apart from each other, and not all concentrated in the dining table."

"So why is that awkward? They could've just been doing their own things somewhere else, or were apart from each other when they were rescued."

"You are correct, however, they would need to remain in a very far distance from one another, perhaps different floors or at least different corners of the house…assuming the firefighters would've been called immediately after it started… something doesn't match, one of the two would be away from the fire center, and last long enough to be rescued consciously…unless…"

"Unless…?"

"Someone, or something, happened… it either made the fire spread too quickly across all the house, or all exits had been blocked. Even though our house's outside structure is made of flammable vegetable cells, or wood, the main building is prepared so the fire is, at the very least, slower."

"So… one of them did something that got them trapped away from each other?"

"Perhaps in a time of panic… but I am unable to say precisely what has caused such thing… but they were not centered in the same area, that's a fact."

"I mean, that kinda makes sense if you're trying to avoid the fire as much as you can, or going around trying to find a place for everyone to hide."

"Big mistake. Don't hide from fire. Run away from the building." Lisa said. "Most people don't die due to the burn damage, but by inhaling toxic gases."

"Oh. So that explains the hydrogen chloride."

"Exactly. It possibly partially blinded her temporarily, before she passed out. Unless they had only reached her after the rest of the smoke cleared away enough."

Silence took over the room, except for the beeping before they decided to back away from that bed. They went over to the last patient in the room, wondering if anything would be any different. Once again, Lisa went towards the monitor, while Lana went besides the bed.

The patient seemed to be in a similar situation as Lincoln was, except the burnt hair was not as noticeable since it was brown instead of white. The skin, however, wasn't as good. Half of her face was almost completely marked, while the other half, while not completely free of scars, was much clearer than the other.

"Okay...the numbers show a similar case to our brother… how is her appearance?"

"Similar to him as well. Maybe she was in the same place or near him at the time."

"Let me take a look." Lisa said, leaving the screen and going towards Lana's side. "Hmm, her face seems quite okay."

"Yeah, look at the other side."

"The other si-" Lisa then remained silent after watching the burned area of Luan's face. "That's a lot of damage. Also, just like everyone else, there might be more under the clothes."

"Okay, but I'm not about to undress an unconscious family member. In fact, maybe we shouldn't lean in too close to her." She moved away a little bit to give some space.

"It's not really something you should be concerned about." Lisa said. "While obviously we shouldn't disturb any patients, just being closer, considering it's only the two of us, won't cause any noticeable harm."

"Huh, I guess. Still better safe than sorry though. I mean, did you hear how high that bill got?"

"Of course I did. Surprisingly, but not exactly." Lisa explained. "A business this big requires a lot of profit so it can maintain its function of saving lives."

"That's true. So… should we get going?"

"Honestly, I'd rather remain here just a big longer, if that's a possibility." Lisa confessed. "I need a little more time away from our guardians, if you understand what I mean."

"Yeah… I could use some time away from them too. I wish the walls of our room weren't so thin. You could hear every single argument they have at any point of the day."

"Unfortunately, that is true." Lisa agreed. "Hey Lana, have you ever measured a pulse before?"

"Uhh, a few times in gym class. You put two fingers somewhere on your neck under your chin, right?"

"It's a possibility. There's more than ten locations you can feel arterial pulsation. From the neck, to the wrist, even on the ankle."

"Wow, yea?"

"Exactly. Here, come take a look." Lisa called, gently grabbing Luan's hand. "It's a bit harder on her since the amount of blood circulating per unit of time is lower than usual, however it's still noticeable."

She placed two fingers onto her wrist and waited. After a moment, she felt a faint motion, like that of a heartbeat. "I can feel it."

"If you pay close attention, you'll notice that the vibrations you feel has almost the same frequency as shown by the monitor." She said, going to the other side of the bed, and turning the screen towards her. "Can you see it?"

She turned her head to check the monitor. "Huh, well whaddya know? It is."

"You don't need to feel the exact area of the heart to see the frequency of the beatings."

"Cool...uh, hey Lis?"

"Yes?"

"Was her pulse supposed to be going faster?"

"Uhh, excuse me? What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, Lana felt something weakly gripping her hand. The machines started beeping a bit faster. She let out a high-pitched girly scream and jumped back in shock. She looked down to see Luan holding her hand and moving around a little bit.

"Uhh… d-don't mind that. Pretend you didn't hear that." She tried to sheepishly brush it off, and directed her attention back to Luan. "L-Luan…?"

"She… moved?!" Lisa exclaimed, going besides Lana's side, seeing Luan's body twitching a bit. "Oh my…" she dashed towards the door of the room and opened it.

"Someone come here! I require help with extreme urgency!" She shouted. Not a few seconds later, a doctor with a pair of nurses dashed inside the room and went straight to Luan's bed. Lana backed away instinctively, as the crew started doing… whatever procedures they needed to do.

"Lis… what's going on?"

"I… I am not sure Lana. Despite my knowledge, too many things could be happening."

"What if she's starting to feel better or something?"

"I wouldn't bet on it." Lisa said.

The two just stood there, nervously watching the doctor work his way through what he had available to treat the two girls' sister. After what felt like hours, but was probably something around 5 minutes, they could hear some coughing coming from the bed, as the doctor and nurse backed up a bit.

Lisa and Lana slowly approached, but made sure they would not get too close. They could see Luan's body, and they could see she was breathing as her chest went up and down. Her face turned down towards their side. Oddly enough though, her tired eyes were slightly open and had a little glimmer to them, and she also seemed to be… smiling?

"Luan?" Lana called, while Lisa was basically mute.

The older woman coughed a bit, before going back to her small smile. "I-I might be coughing, but I'm still not in a _coffin_. Hehe."

And with that, the two young girls groaned at the terrible pun, and they knew. Their older sister had regained consciousness.


	10. Heating Up

_**(A/N): Hey guys! Sorry I failed to update last week. Shit's been happening in real life since I'm moving, and I never quite had the time to work on it before now. Here we are, though, and keep an eye out for the next chapter, because things are moving forward and shit is going down.**_

* * *

After the two girls have a quick talk together, the small crew of a doctor and two nurses resumed their jobs, basically blocking any sort of vision Lana and Lisa could have of Luan. As understandable as it was, after all, they were making sure their sister was as good as she could be, they were rather a bit anxious. It'd be the first time they'd talk to someone they knew prior to the fire that wasn't themselves. And while not everyone in the Marlton's family wasn't so bad, none of the four seemed to be too excited with what was being said most of the time. Luckily, the crew soon stopped and turned to address Lisa and Lana.

"Are you two here for a visit?" One of them asked.

"Uhh, yeah?" Lana replied. "I think so."

"Alright. You have a few minutes to talk to her if you want. We're going to have to move her to another room soon, however. She needs to get as much rest as she can."

They nodded understandingly, and waited for the crew to leave. They nervously stepped towards Luan, not entirely sure what to say. The oldest of the three girls slowly and uncomfortably shifted her position so she could be sitting up in bed. Her face revealed that she felt tired, perhaps weak, and that's not considered the burn marks around it, which while not as bad as some others, were definitely noticeable. But even still, she managed to give the two girls a weak smile.

She coughed a couple times before she broke the ice. "_So, aren't you going to say anything?_" She asked. Her voice, rash and quiet, tired and different from her usual tone made the two girls both pitiful and a bit disturbed.

"Elder sibling…" Lisa said, as the two girls were beside the bed. "How… how do you feel?"

"Well I've been better, and things are a little bit blurry. Other than that, I've been pretty _fired up!_" She punned, capping it off with a hoarse laugh.

"Oh Luan… if it wasn't for the fact we've missed you, your puns would be slightly less enjoyable." Lisa said, rolling her eyes, with a gentle smile on her face.

"Really though… what happened?" Luan said, dropping her smile. "Because all I remember was a fire… I blacked out, and I just woke up here." Luan asked.

"Well, Lisa and I left the house to go sledding for a little bit." Lana said, holding her chin while trying to recall her memories. "I don't even remember how long we were out, but by the time we got back, the house... caught fire somehow… and then the police took us and it turns out we have some distant relatives in a different city." She recapped, a hint of sorrow in her voice. It was obvious that she was trying her best to stay strong in front of one of her newly-awoken sister.

"Wait… If all of that happened… how long have I been asleep?"

"You never were asleep." Lisa clarified. "You were in a state of unconsciousness, which might seem similar on a mundane point of view, however-"

"Lisa, you know what I meant." Luan interrupted her. "How long has it been?"

"For starters, we are currently in the following year of the accident. 17 days into it, to be exact, or a little bit over two weeks to not be exact. From the fire itself, precisely 24 days."

"Whoa…" Both Lana and Luan uttered. They really _had _lost track of time at this point. Especially one who had been unawakened for all this time.

"Holy shit… I've missed a lot." Luan concluded.

"You're still the first one to wake up, so perhaps you're one of the luckiest in our family."

"Huh, well ain't that something? Lynn's usually the first at everything. Speaking of her, how's she holding up?"

"Lynn… she's in the other room, like everyone else, still blacked out." Lana explained. "Lucy and dad were just taken to the emergency room, though."

"The… emergency room? What happened with them?"

"We're not really sure, they didn't tell us much. We couldn't go inside to see them, either."

"They've potentially had some sort of worsened intoxication due to the gases produced by the fire, but without proper analysis I cannot precise such a diagnosis."

"Oh. And what about everyone else?"

"They have been… stable, yet unconscious." Lisa said.

"Excuse me for interrupting." A voice said, coming from the door, and the doctor that was there earlier walked in. "But we really need to move her to the examination room, to insure that she's as good as she can be."

"Oh… well, good talk. And it's nice to see you again, it really is." Lana said, sighing. "Feel better soon."

"Hey… we will still see each other soon. Now you two, come here."

The two girls approached, as Luan, even if with a bit of difficulty, wrapped her arms around the two, and squeezed them tight. The two girls appreciated the gesture, as it had been quite a while since they've received such an act of affection from someone that wasn't themselves.

They watched as the doctors rolled her bed out of the room and into a different one. They could hear Karen calling to them as their visiting time was now up. The two looked at each other, and to the two remaining beds in the room, thinking of the other Louds that were still bound to wake up. Hopefully, anyway.

"Hey Lis?"

"Yes?"

"You haven't said anything about Mom, Luna or… _Lola…"_

"I assumed that, for now, it would be best to keep it a secret from her." She confessed. "Besides, the doctors will eventually tell her the bad news."

"I see. Trying to keep things positive, I guess. Hearing about your loved ones being… _missing _probably isn't the best thing to wake up to."

"Negative thoughts and feelings tend to cause worse recoveries, so it's also a strategy to make her recover, at least physically, faster… especially considering that Luna is one of those that didn't make it."

"I remember when she and Luna used to be roommates. They were everything to each other… kinda like me and Lola."

"Lana...are you okay?"

Lana wiped a stray tear away from her eye. "Y-yeah. I'm okay."

"I… I'm sorry if I made you remember her…"

"No it's fine, really. And who knows, maybe… maybe by some miracle she somehow escaped too, like maybe she was out of the house just like we were, doing who-knows-what?" She heard Karen continue to call their names and started walking towards the voice. "Probably not, but I can hope… right?"

They got into the car for yet another relatively silent drive home. Well, silent in that the two girls had learned to block out the sound of Tim and Karen arguing at this point. There wasn't much they'd want to talk, they didn't even tell the two older people their sister was awake. Perhaps it was something that only affected them for now.

* * *

A few days later, the four Marltons went out for some grocery shopping, and the two Louds tagged along. They had been running low and it was about time for them to restock. Usually Timothy did it alone, but for some reason he made sure everyone was going as well.

"Which results in a lack of space in this seat." Lisa said, standing out of the car while everyone else was inside, and the other people agreed. Perhaps this was the first time all six of them agreed about something.

"Yeah, this sucks." Edward said. "If only-"

"If only we weren't here to cause more trouble?" Lana asked, ironically.

"Yeah, exactly." Edward confirmed, earning him an annoyed grunt.

"I think that's not really the problem, but rather..." Nathan said, bending forward. "Hey dad, why are we all being dragged to this again?"

"Because, my boy, I'm going to need some help with budgeting."

"What?! What do you mean by that, that doesn't sound good!" Karen interjected from the passenger's seat.

"Yeah, like anything ever sounds good to you at all." Timothy mocked, earning a couple small laughs from the four people behind them.

"Oh whatever. Well, I say we leave the girls at home and give them another list of chores so we can get going already."

"Uhu, like that's ever gonna happen. I'm not hiring two maids in my house, I'm raising two girls, so don't think that will ever happen."

"Well, actually, that uh… that's kinda been what was happening for the past two weeks…" Lana admitted.

"Of all the things our time could be productive for our own education, it has been wasted by mundane chores of her responsibilities!" Lisa exclaimed.

"Okay Lisa, you don't have to get too excited." Karen attempted to shut her down.

"But it's not correct! We should be in school, not working so that you don't have to!"

"Hey, I house and feed you, don't you think you should give a little back to us?"

"Y'know, public school is free for the most part…" Lana said, despite not being the biggest fan of it. But what kind of big sister would she be if she didn't have her little sister's back?

"_Sigh_, why Karen, why is it that when I receive a surprise from you, it's never a good one?"

"You didn't know about that?" Karen asked, seemingly genuinely surprised. "The house has been spotless ever since! Keeping them out of school was a good idea."

"No, keeping them out of school was to give them some time to relax because of what happened, not for them to work as slaves!" He exclaimed.

"Hey, they're no angels either! You know the last one? They brought animals into the house!"

"Of course I know! I agreed with it weeks ago!"

"You knew?!"

"You never tell me anything, why should I?"

"Mom, Dad, shouldn't we get going?" Nathan asked. "I mean, if we stand out here, what are we gonna eat tonight?"

"_I could manufacture a meal out of mundane objects that's at least edible."_ Lisa said to herself.

"_I've been doing that ever since I was little." _Lana whispered to her, having heard it.

"_And I still wonder why you're not dead."_

"_To be fair, we've both been in some shit even before… you know. So it's probably gonna take a lot more to kill us."_

"Alright, let's get this over with. One of you in the back is gonna have to sit on someone's lap to make room though." Timothy announced, gesturing at Lisa who was standing outside of the car.

"Okay… I assume that's fair, since I'm the youngest and possibly lightest." Lisa concluded.

"Lisa, Just go over Lana. The trip there is quick anyway." Timothy said.

Lisa complied, making the effort of using Lana as a seat, and sharing the same belt as well.

"Well, this is somehow even more cramped than before." Edward grumbled next to them.

"You should probably keep your head down so you don't bump it on the roof of the car." Lana advised her sister. She then turned her head to shoot a glare at Ed. It was the kind of look that said 'If you don't shut up you're going to regret it' without actually saying anything. Lana and Ed were pretty much the best at eye language in the whole car at this point.

"Okay, everyone hold on tight, we'll be there in no time!" Timothy exclaimed.

Several murmurs of "good" and "I hope so" from the others in the car rose up, getting cut off when he stepped on the gas pedal and took off towards the store.

It didn't take long for them to get there, and luckily, nobody was willing to say anything that would make it feel longer. The beauty of a silent ride is something that should not be taken for granted in times like these. Silence can be worth gold in the right situation, and what fool would be willing to spoil gold?

The trip through the store was relatively quick as well, since everyone was more focused with getting food and wishing to get back home. It wasn't until they were bringing the groceries into the car on the way back that things got heated again.

"Hey, where is the rest of the stuff?" Karen asked.

"Yeah, doesn't this seem like a little less than enough for six people?" Edward completed.

"Our money got a bit tighter, so we're saving on all that we can." Timothy explained. "And that includes the food we eat."

"So, what, we're not gonna eat tonight?!" Both Edward and Karen asked.

"No, we'll just be getting takeout. That way we can save what we got for tomorrow."

This time, only Karen had objections. "Don't you know how bad takeout is? We're supposed to be eating healthy, and I will not let you feed my boys fat and salt wrapped in paper!"

"Listen here, this might not be exactly the best, but it's what we can afford!" He exclaimed. "Nobody will die because of a few weeks of not so healthy food."

"No, but we came out here for a reason, and that was to get _healthy food _only!"

"No, we came here to buy _food_. Period. If we can't afford it, well, too bad. My bank account is crystal clear with the hospital expenses and your trips to the mall. Maybe cut that if you want healthy food?!"

Karen gasped dramatically and put a hand to her heart. "My weekend trips to the mall are how I cope with the stress of dealing with everyone!" She said, apparently taking offense.

"Well then, do your trips with your own goddamn money, cause I ain't paying the bill of those no more. You can forget the credit cards, I assure you."

Her offended expression turned to one of fear. "W-what? Then how am I going to go out?"

"Find a job or beg on the streets, I don't care, but you won't see a single penny from me that isn't from the food you eat or the bills on the house you sleep in. You think I'm playing games?! I'm tired of you, so maybe you should start seeing things more seriously."

"How dare you?! We're in this together, Tim, don't you ever forget that!" She turned to look towards the two Loud girls and grit her teeth before turning back to the man she supposedly called her husband.

While that was going on, the four kids looked between each other and at the ground, idly standing there. The frequent, sometimes daily arguments were nothing new, but somehow they had been happening even more frequently. And apparently getting stronger and harsher.

"Oh, so now we're this together? But you had no problem complaining about every single thing I ever did! I'm tired of you Karen, that's the truth!"

"You want the truth?! I'm tired of _you, _Tim! Everyday I wake up regretting not dying in my sleep!"

"Oh really?! I guess we finally agree on something!"

The four kids watched as true silence set in and filled the air after that last sentence, and stared at each other not certain what to do. Whatever differences they had between each other is forgotten in hopes that things would turn out better for everyone soon, but it never does.

"Kids, get in the fucking car." Timothy said. "And Karen, if you say _one more word_, you'll be walking home."

They did, and the drive back home was also completely silent, but the silence was not even nearly as golden as the ride to the store was. The tension was evident. Tim went even faster in order to rush home, the reason for which he refused to explain. Nobody dared to make a sound which wasn't an occasional cough caused by the pollution.

When they finally arrived there, in what felt like an eternity, the family members started to get out of the car. After a few seconds, he sped off with the door still open, not realizing it. It wasn't until he heard the door slam shut and a raspy but still recognizable female voice screaming that he realized he forgot to let someone get out of the car.

"Yo what the hell's going on, where are we going?!" Lana yelled out, trying and struggling to get her seatbelt on in time.

"Ah, for fucks sake, when I need my time alone?!" He complained. "_Sigh,_ still much better than my wife though." He said calmly.

"Ah geez, I _hope_ I am. But really, what's happening?" She replied calmly as well, having managed to get herself strapped in.

"What's happening is that I need to be as far as possible from that woman."

"How have you managed to deal with her for so long? I've only been here for a few weeks and I'm already going crazy, and I swear she's out to get me."

"Listen here kid, there's lots of things ya don't understand." Timothy said. "Things usually aren't this bad, but that woman only wants my money, and I know it. After you and your sister showed up, money was cut short, and so she's being a bigger bitch than usual.""

"Oh… I'm sorry about that, and Lisa and I never meant for any of this to happen…" Lana sighed and looked out towards the window. They were currently on a highway, and driving towards an exit she never remembered them taking.

"Shut up kid. You weren't the one to set fire to your house. It happened. My wife didn't know how to deal with that."

"I know, but still…" She couldn't help but still feel guilty just for being there, but decided it'd be better not to say so, lest she be looked at as an attention-seeker. "Where are we going, anyway?" She then asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Far away." Was all that he said.

And indeed, they did drive far away. Since she had lost her phone in the fire (dammit, should have kept it in a coat pocket!) she just spent most of the trip quietly staring out of the window and taking in the new sights, wondering what was in store for the both of them. She also wondered what Lisa was thinking, and if she even noticed she was missing. She'd be sure to explain everything the second she got the chance.

Eventually, the car was parked and the doors were unlocked. "Ah, yes. I remember when this place was just a bunch of wood targets and bottles." Timothy said, walking inside, and Lana following right behind.

"Are we at a… shooting range?" She asked upon seeing a bunch of people aiming numerous types of pistols and rifles at targets up ahead. To her right, she saw a balcony with a couple employees checking on their equipment.

"Yes. Nothing like a few rounds to cool down my nerves." He said, approaching the balcony. "I assume you never fired a gun before?"

"Uh, n-no, I haven't, actually." She followed behind him to the balcony, unsure whether or not she'd be coming along despite having spent probably an hour or so in the car.

"Ah, Tim, good to see you again!" The employee said excitedly, shaking his hand. "What can I do for you today? Kar98k as always?"

"Actually…" Timothy said, rubbing his chin. "Today I'll go with an M1911"

"Really?" He asked. "I thought you were more of a fan of bolt action, not pistols, 'specially this light."

"Oh, it won't be for me. It'll be for this gal here." He places a hand on Lana's head.

She glanced up and sheepishly smiled and waved. "Hi." She greeted.

"Woah there, Tim, ya know I can't simply give a gun to a girl… and has she ever fired before?"

"Dude, this is fucking America."

"Well, I guess you're right." The employee said, placing the weapon on the balcony, which Tim took. "Ammo's at the shooting range."

"Still 30 bucks a cartridge?"

"You come here so often, make this one on the house." He said. "Consider it a gift for the new customer."

"Thanks fella. Will try not to abuse it that much."

As they were walking towards the shooting range, Lana stared at the weapon curiously. "Whoa, you know that guy?"

"Do I know him? Girl you won't believe me, but this place was the playground of the small town I was born. The dude was my neighbor, and started working here when the town started growing."

"Niiiice."

It didn't take too long to get everything set up, and soon they were at an unoccupied spot in front of a few targets that ranged from small bottle to posters of a decal of parts of a person to shoot labeled with numbers.

"Okay, so you never picked a gun before." He said, placing the gun on the small balcony that separated the place where the two stood and the targets waiting to be shot, and then walked back. "First off, pick the gun, and feel it."

She did so, inspecting it as well. "It feels weird, and a bit heavy. I've held fake plastic and rubber guns before, like when one of my older sisters gave me some self-defense lessons, but it wasn't like this. She always warned me about being careful with the trigger hole., so I usually just didn't put my finger in there." She was holding it in a way that still had three of her fingers wrapped around the handle, but her thumb and pinkie were sticking out and away from it.

"Good. The more you know the gun, the better. Now, a few safety things. One, you know if the gun is loaded?"

"I mean, I didn't see you putting ammo into it, and I didn't put any in it either, but I still don't know."

"Clever." He said, approaching the girl and picking the pistol. He pointed forward, and snapped a shot directly into one of the bottles. The force of it caught her off-guard and nearly knocked her back a bit, but she tensed up to avoid moving back. "I secretly loaded it." He confessed, smirking, taking off a clip, placing it on the balcony, and cleaning the chamber. "Rule number one, every gun is always loaded until proven otherwise."

She loosened her muscles and smirked as well. "Kinda like 'innocent until proven guilty' but the other way around, huh?"

"Exactly. Now remember. Never point a gun at what you don't what to shoot, keep the finger away from the trigger until you know you'll fire, and know not only your target, but what's around it. Get it?"

Lana nodded. "I get it, but, even if you're threatening someone?"

"Why the fuck would you threaten someone?" He asked. "Guns are for your defense, not to attack people, that's what those fucking liberals don't get!"

"Well, I dunno, it was a stupid hypothetical question is all. My mind goes to weird places." She defended. "But yeah, I get it."

"Good. Now, step one, load the thing." He said, moving behind her. "And don't point that thing anywhere but forward!"

She grabbed a single round and placed it into the magazine to the best of her ability. "I dunno if I did it right." She said, but still kept it facing forward as per his orders.

"If it fires, you got it right. We're beyond the times the guns fired at you." He said. "Now, put the mag in the gun."

"Alright, then." She did just that and aimed at one of the posters, keeping the gun close to her eye to adjust the aim. She moved her hand up so that her pinkie would be on the handle and her ring finger would be on the trigger, which felt like cold metal. Keeping herself steady, she fired while keeping her eyes squinted, open just enough to see straight. She was pushed back a bit, the gun went a bit upwards. When she opened her eyes, she noticed there was now a new bullet hole… right in the already hole-covered wall behind her intended target. "Oh."

"Ugh, happens with everyone on their first try. Except for that one guy that somehow shot the ceiling." The old man said, approaching.

She looked up above her and saw that there was in fact a bullet hole in the ceiling. "Damn, and I thought _my _aim was shit."

"It's your first shot. Here, let me help you." He said. He placed his old rough hands over Lana's new rough hands, and made her stretch her arms as far as she could. "Okay, now, I saw you almost jumping when you fired. Remember, the gun is only an object. You can't be scared of it."

"I know, it's just so loud and sudden, and I don't want it to hit me in the head because I've heard stories of that happening before."

"That's people that think guns are toys for 3 year olds." He explained, covering her ears. "Now, you see that person drawn on the poster, the one closest to us? Point the gun in its chest."

"Oh, well then." She said and did just that, sticking her tongue out slightly as she tried to focus her aim. Once again, she fired the gun, and this time had more luck with the shot. It was a little bit below the center of her target, but still on the poster rather than the wall.

"Nice shot kid." Tim complimented her. "You just have to practice. Now, aim for the head!"

The compliment lifted her spirits up, and, with a newfound confidence, aimed right at the head. When she fired, there was a bullet hole that covered half of the right eye and some of the right temple of the decal.

"Very good!" He said. "You think we can make this… harder?"

"Harder how?" She asked, pointing the gun downward for a second before pointing it back in the way she had been holding it before. He said to only aim it straight forward, after all.

Timothy pressed a button on the side of the booth, and the target she was aiming on began moving backwards, away from her. He only stopped when it was only a few feet from the wall, and very far from Lana herself. "Think you can do it?"

"Well, I could try." Once again, she aimed and shot at the head as well as she could. She had to stall for a bit before shooting since it was further away and thus looked smaller. Despite that, she still managed to get a good enough shot, this time closer to the chin.

"Eh, close enough." He said, "Not the forehead, but close enough."

"Hey, this isn't so hard!" Lana exclaimed.

"It surely isn't. Now, you still got some ammo on the clip." He said, dragging the target closer to the two. "Just unload it on the target!"

Lana just took a second, before she began firing as fast as she could and biting her lip to stop the urge from letting out a war cry that one would hear from the crazy character in an action movie.. Soon, the target had around 9 holes in it. "This is cool."

"I know. You check under the balcony. That thing is full of ammo."

She grinned slightly, not too wide but enough for her left canine tooth to jut out. "Will do."

They continued practicing at the shooting range, occasionally switching to take turns. Both since Tim went there to do some shooting himself, and also for the hell of it. Lana's aim was improving too, at least it was an upgrade from shooting the wall. They stayed there for some time, until the sun began setting and the sky darkened to a deep orange and pink hue.

"Ah, now I'm relieved." Tim said, after he unloaded the last clip. "Well, we better get going. It sucks, but I guess we have no option."

"Yeah, that was fun. I know you wanted to be alone, but… thanks for taking me here."

"Ya know, I think you made this time better. Sometimes after a few shots it just gets boring. Hey, you want our destroyed target?"

"Heh, yea? And sure, I like having bragging rights." She felt her head being patted again and purred without realizing it.

"You're like the kid I never had. Between us my boys are useless tech addicts… and your sis is too much of a nerd for me." He said, bringing the target close enough so he could pull it out, roll it up, and give it to her. "Here ya go."

"Thanks, Tim. Y'know, I've been wanting to go to a place like this but thought it wouldn't be happening for a long while."

"Well, let's say it's a win-win situation."

They agreed and went back to the car for another long drive back to the house. It felt even longer due to them knowing what they were coming back to, but the mood had lightened up.

* * *

Back at the house, it was dark and the residents were in their rooms chilling like normally. Though, Lisa was most definitely not chill.

She was alone in her room, well, technically with her pets. It was cold, even under the covers with Charles and Cliff. While both pets slept, she remained wide awake. She was shaking with fear she never thought she'd felt before. Or maybe it was just the cold. Yeah, probably the cold. Or the fear. Or both, even she didn't know.

"W-where are you, Lana?" She babbled to herself under the covers. They've been gone for the whole day, with the 50 year old responsible for them. What could have happened.

Speaking of the devil, Lana opened the door which made a creaking sound. "Hey Lisa." She said softly, and stepped into the room while closing the door behind her.

"Lana!" Lisa exclaimed quietly, flying from the bed, and almost catapulting both pets with her, until she was face to face with her sister. "Where have you been?!"

"Well, I guess I didn't get out of the car quick enough and Tim didn't notice me back there so he sped off with me in the back. I guess he wanted to blow off steam by himself at a shooting range, and I ended up going with him." She explained and unrolled the poster she had been carrying under her armpit. "Turns out I'm not half bad with a gun."

"You… you went to a shooting range… h-how irresponsible is our host?!"

"I dunno, but I had fun and we didn't have to deal with Karen. I would've definitely let you know if I had my phone though… so I'm sorry about that." She apologized and rubbed the back of her neck.

"You have no idea how worried I was… with all that happened, and all the time you took to come back…" Lisa wrapped her arms around her sister and sank her face into her chest. "_I-I d-didn't know i-if I-I's see y-you a-again!"_

Lana wrapped her arms around her sister as well and bent down a little bit to be closer to her level. "Easy there, Lis… I'm here now. If something bad happened then I would've found a way to escape and come back to you."

Lisa backed up a bit and faced her, looking into her eyes. "Y-you promise?"

"Trust me, you're not gonna get rid of me that easily. I promise."

"I… I appreciate your certainty." Lisa clarified, looking to the floor.

They were called down to get their bags of takeout, still much to Karen's disdain. They broke off the hug to go downstairs.

"Here's your… _ugh… _takeout, girls." Karen said, and handed them two warm brown paper bags. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, though she was leaning up against the kitchen counter in an awkward way that hid her right hand from view. They accepted it and went back upstairs without so much as a second thought.

Once they and pretty much everyone else in the house were out of earshot, she smirked knowingly. "So you want to go to school so badly, huh? Well, _allow me to oblige…" _She moved her right hand and shook it, in which she was holding a small bottle of sleeping pills.


	11. Stairway To Heaven

Karen waited until she was absolutely positive that everyone else was doing their own thing before creeping into Lisa and Lana's bedroom. She opened the door open slightly, just in the off chance that they were still awake. Lucky for her, both the girls and the pets were sleeping soundly on the carpeted floor. She smirked evilly and walked towards the sleeping bodies.

"Soon I won't ever have to deal with you two and your nagging." Karen said to herself, the irony of her sentiment completely lost on her. She picked up Lana and brought her downstairs in a fireman's carry, both due to her weight and to resist the urge to drop her as she walked, as that would certainly alert the others. She slowly opened the front door and carried her further outside to the car, dropping her in the backseat without strapping the seatbelt on her. She then closed the car door and turned back to get the others.

Once that was all done, with Charles and Cliff stuffed into a single pet carrier in the trunk, she started the ignition and took off in the dead of night. She knew exactly where she was headed, but wasn't sure if they would accept the pets. She doubted she would have a problem with getting rid of the kids, so at least there was that, she thought. Oh well, if anything she could just drop them off at the pound or something. Whatever it was, it was clear she wouldn't have to deal with them anymore.

It was a bright morning, not a single cloud in the sky. For someone that wasn't feeling the cold breeze, they'd have guessed that it was summer, instead of the middle of winter. Apparently not many people were on the streets that day, or at least not at the time given. Either sleeping or probably already at a job or in school.

* * *

"_Uah..." _Lisa yawned, sitting up and rubbing her back. That area was feeling quite painful after a night of sleep, but it was quickly shaken away after her vision cleared up. Instead of being in the small bedroom she was used to, she was sitting in her pajamas on the wide open sidewalk. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she was not mistaken. She looked to the side to see that not only her, but her sister and her pets have been left in the middle of wherever they were.

"Lana?" She called, approaching the girl snoring in the ground. "Lana, wake up!" She exclaimed, shaking the girl.

"_Gahhgh!"_ Lana yelped and opened her eyes wide, having been shaken out of a dreamless nap. She stood up and cracked her back. "I dunno what came over me when I conked out like that, but I slept like a chloroformed baby." She said while yawning and scratching her butt. She didn't comment on her surroundings yet since her vision was still somewhat blurry and she desperately wanted to go back to sleep.

"Yeah, apparently you slept just like one, and me as well. Observe where we are!" She exclaimed again.

Lana shook her head and took in her surroundings. "How on Earth did we get _here_…? Where are we, anyway?" She held her right hip in pain. "No wonder my side is killing me."

"You think I have such information? I've just woken up." She explained. "_Okay… okay... don't panic…"_

"So did I, and I'm not panicking. Maybe we drank something and did a bunch of weird shit, and now we have to go through an eventful journey to get back home like in that hangover movie."

"One, That is as unlikely as we both being struck by lightning in the next five seconds. Two, I'm telling myself not to panic. I need to figure out what's happening this instant."

"Well, clearly we blacked out while we were eating takeout and now we're all the way out here. Wherever we are, in front of this weird-looking building right here." Lana pointed her thumb behind her. Behind her was a small brick building with two windows in the front, a grey and white roof, and a crucifix on the top. There was a wooden sign in front of it that read '_Crystal Lake Institution' _painted in big golden letters, and '_Christian Boarding School' _below it in smaller white letters. Lana did not notice the sign, however.

"Lana, please, this is a religious school, we must present respect to other people's beliefs and that includes their institutions of education" Lisa said, approaching the sign. "Perhaps we could find someone to help us with our location."

Lana turned her head towards the sign. "A religious school… oh. Okay, uh… we won't be here long, right?" She half-asked and half-pleaded.

"I can't answer that with certainty. Just please keep your mouth shut when we ask for help. Also, are Cliff and Charles awake?"

"Alright, I won't say anything stupid. And… I'm not sure." Lana's eyes fell onto a blanket that seemed to be propped up. She took it off, and there were the pets, still curled up without any awareness of where they were. She petted them a little bit before turning back to Lisa. "Apparently not."

"Should we wake them up? You're the one that knows them the best."

"Well, I don't know if that'll be a good idea right now. Not until we get some directions and a place to rest." She picked them up in her arms in the blanket as though she were holding a baby.

"Then… just make sure they're as comfortable as possible." Lisa said, going to the front wooden double-doors of the building and knocked on it. After a few seconds, they were open, revealing an old lady dressed as a nun. She had a small smile on her wrinkled face.

"Oh, good morning, dear. Can I help you?"

"Well, actually, yes miss." Lisa said, as respectful as she could. "Me and my sister over there are… lost. Could you inform us where we are?"

"Why, you're at the Crystal Lake Institution! We are a Christian boarding school, and I am the principle. You may call me Sister Lucerna."

"A pleasure to meet you, Sister Lucerna." Lisa greeted. "My name is Lisa Loud, and that's my sister, Lana." She clarified. "Do you believe there's anyway you could aid us to return to our home?"

"What happened? Why aren't you two at your home?"

"We… aren't exactly sure. We just woke up here. Perhaps we were moved out."

"By the love of Jesus, that's such a shameful and horrible thing to do to two young girls like you. And I don't use the Lord's name in vain." She said, placing a finger on her chin to think. "Hmm, well… we do also take in homeless children and give them a home, if that is what you two seek."

"We're good-" Lana began, only for Lisa to put a finger to her lips and shush her. It had become a bit of a reflex for the nerd at this point.

"If it's not too much of a burden on you, could we ask for a day of rest, so we can think of such offer?"

"Hmm…" The lady scratched her head in thought. "I suppose we could take you in, but you would need to get a schedule from the office and start your classes. Luckily, the earliest class we have doesn't start for another half an hour, so that should be enough time to get your room set up. Are you two god-fearing girls?"

"Well… I wouldn't exactly use such terms, but yes, we're all quite religious."

"What? Lisa, we're not-" Lisa shushed Lana again.

"I'm sorry, my sister here has suffered a lot. We've experienced a horrific tragedy, and that made her doubt the truth of our Lord and Savior sometimes. It's an unfortunate happening."

Catching on to the plan, Lana put up her best 'good-girl' act, putting her hands behind her back and smiling innocently. "What I meant was, if He loves everyone then why fear him?"

"Ah yes, I see." The nun said with a smile, satisfied. "Well then, you two may come in and we'll accommodate you two in a room we have available."

"We would highly appreciate that, thank you." Lisa said. She grabbed Lana's hand and pulled her inside the building. She could tell that this was the last place her sister would want to be, though she wasn't exactly sure why. She chose to ignore the trepidation she showed while following the lady.

The interior of the building seemed much more taken care of than the outside. It felt like they were walking inside a castle, though the fact there was literally nobody in that main hall probably contributed to such an impression. It also seemed so much bigger on the inside, almost like the boarding school equivalent of a cartoon house or a clown car.

They got to a spiral staircase and walked up and around many steps before getting to the above floor. There were doors with different numbers listed on them, painted in red and going left to right from 075 to 101. A golden cross was also attached to each of the doors. They walked all the way to the right end, to room 101. The wood and paint was peeling away a little bit more than on the other doors, though the inside seemed pretty alright. Even with the messed up sheets and musky odor that emitted from it. There was a bunk bed on one side and a single bed in the other.

"You two can stay in here for now. I will get you your schedules so that you can head to your classes when the bell rings." Sister Lucerna said warmly with a smile. It was almost enough to settle Lana too. _Almost. _"Oh, excuse me, if you don't mind asking, what are you carrying there, young girl?"

Lana got a bit nervous of the chance of her losing her pets again. "Uh… j-just some clothes for me and my sister." She lied.

"Oh, I should have imagined." She said. "Well then, you can wait here, and soon I'll be back with all you need."

"Huh, Interesting habitation." Lisa commented. "Seems warmer and more prepared to receive us than our last one."

"Here at Crystal Lake Institution, we try to be open to anyone that wants to become closer to our Lord and Savior. I should get going, you two get settled down in here." The woman then handed them a set of keys and walked away.

Lana closed the door calmly, but then started pacing around the room anxiously. "Lisa, what are we doing?" She asked while pacing around like a captive tiger with zoochosis.

"Uh, breathing, blinking, circulating blood through our veins… you in particular are sweating and increasing your levels of stress and slowly destroying your neurons…"

Lana stopped pacing for a moment and crossed her arms, a little bit miffed. "Okay, Little Miss Smartypants, what I mean is, what are we doing _here? _Why are we here instead of finding a way home? I thought we were just going to get directions."

"Lana, first of all, come down. Don't believe I've just accepted such invitation to simply become another follower of the catholic religion." Lisa said.

"It's not that, I don't mind all the religious stuff in general. It's just… this place. Do you know what this place is, exactly?"

"A school which has its main focus of teaching its students the lessons of the Catholic Church?"

"Yeah, and I can't be in a place like this! Do you know what they do to people like me?! _Do you?" _Lana pleaded, grabbing Lisa's shoulders and shaking her once.

"Lana, this is a religious school, not the Middle Ages." Lisa tried to calm her down. "They've stopped burning people like you and me alive after the 14th century."

Lana sighed and sat down on the bottom bunk. "Okay, maybe they won't go _that _far, but it still won't be pretty. And what do you mean, 'and you'?"

"You think scientists were treated nicely when their discoveries went against religion? Or at least christianism?"

"Well no, I heard that they really hated Copernicus."

"That's just one scientist who has been overshadowed by the beliefs of Christ. But regardless, what I need you to understand, Lana, is that I'm looking for a favorable situation. We don't know where we are, we have no sorts of communication, and we've been kicked out of our old home. Even if we somehow managed to make the whole way back in a single day walking, which I doubt we would, there's the risk of it happening again. I just wanted to secure a couple days so we could plan a way back. It's not my intention to remain here."

"How do you know we were kicked out? Maybe we somehow wandered out on our own. Though now that I think about it, Karen _was_ acting pretty weird about the food…" Lana scratched her head and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "Alright, so we'll just stay here for a little bit, and then what?"

"Then, after we've figured out a plan to return home, we can thank our welcome and leave the place you seem to despise so much."

"Okay then, just a few days. I guess we could do that. _We could do that…" _Lana was more so trying to reassure herself, but was consiberaly calmer now compared to when they first got there.

"You seem to have quite a negative perspective about this place. You can't judge it as a bad environment before experiencing it."

"I know, but I've heard stories and stuff like that. And I dunno, she seems nice enough, but I can't help but pick up bad vibes. Both from her and this place." Lana said while placing the pets that were still wrapped up and covered in the blanket onto the bottom bunk. She then covered that blanket with the blanket that was already on the bed.

"You seem to have a tendency to notice 'bad vibes' from a lot of people, sister. Just a small hint, sometimes we must work with those that at first don't seem to be the people you'd wish to interact with, so remain polite, to achieve the best results."

"I guess you have a point. Maybe this place won't be so bad after all. Maybe the people here really _are _nice and I'm just overthinking things."

Just then, they heard an odd ringing sound. It was quiet at first, but the ringing started getting louder and louder. It was an alarm coming from the top bunk. The blankets rustled, and a black-haired girl with large and sparkling doe-like eyes emerged from the covers. She kind of looked like Lucy if bangs didn't cover her eyes, though her skin wasn't quite as pale.

The three just stared at each other for a few moments, not quite sure what to say. Lana went slack-jawed and stumbled back, fainting. Luckily, Lisa managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Uh, can I know why there's 2 strangers in my room?" The girl asked from the top of the bed.

"Uh… we were just placed here temporarily… I think." Lisa said, a bit confused. "Apologies, I wasn't aware that someone else was sleeping here."

"No need to. I'm used to being forgotten." She said, sitting up on the top bed. "Uh, is the blonde going to be okay?"

"Yeah, she will. She probably was just very spooked when you woke up."

"Oh… I tend to spook people a lot when I pop up after they forget I exist. Really though, are you sure she's gonna be okay? She looks out cold."

"One second." Lisa said, placing Lana gently on the floor and crouching down to her, leaning into her ear. "_You girly girl!" _She shouted.

Immediately after, Lana lurched up with an angry expression. "Whoever said that is getting _force-fed Old Sloshie, I swear-!" _She stopped mid-threat to acknowledge her surroundings, and her angry look changed to a confused one. "Uhh, hey…" She greeted the girl on the top bunk and waved nervously.

"Getting force-fed old what?" The girl asked, confused.

"You do not wish to know, I assure you." Lisa gagged.

"Oh… so, I guess we're all roommates now? Also, I'm Sophie."

"Name's Lana. She's Lisa. And not really roommates." Lana said. "We don't plan on staying here for too long."

Sophie looked at them for a few seconds before covering her mouth to hold back laughter. "You definitely are new here."

"Uhh yeah, we are… we just woke up in front of this building not even an hour ago. How can you tell we're new?" Lana arched an eyebrow up in suspicion.

"You don't know what it feels like to be here." She said, finally getting out of bed and climbing down the ladder. Her body and her height indicated she was probably a couple years older than Lana. "Look, if you ended up in front of this place, someone wanted to make sure you wouldn't come back."

"That's nonsense." Lisa interrupted. "A school cannot simply keep us inside against our will."

"Trust me, I've been here for as long as I can remember." Sophie turned to face Lisa. She was practically a head and a half taller than the scientist. "When I was little…" she crossed her arms. "Look, I don't like to talk about that, but you have to know is there's almost no way of getting out on your own. At least not with Lucerna in power. You know who she is, right?"

"_Dammit Karen." _Lana muttered under her breath, just barely loud enough for Sophie to hear.

"Who's Karen?" She asked, tilting her head,

"N-nobody. Just a mean ol'... jerk. Yeah, that's what she is. And yeah, we know her. She runs this place, right?"

"Yep, she watches over everyone like a hawk watches a mouse. Don't let her 'kindness' deceive you, either. She'll be as nice as can be until you do something to slightly disobey her. Then she raises Hell."

"Huh, I was kind of getting bad vibes from her too."

"Oh please." Lisa said. "I'm sure you're exaggerating. Studies show that a lower performance of a student in a school or institution is partially a cause of a negative perspective of their mentors."

"Listen here, four eyes." Sophie approached Lisa until her shadow covered her body. "Your 'studies' can say whatever they want, but I'm the one who's been dealing with her the longest, so who do you think knows better what they're talking about?"

"I think we should listen to her, Lisa. If this place was spooky before, it sure sounds like a nightmare now." Lana shivered slightly, despite the room being quite stuffy.

"See, she gets it. If you want to survive longer than a day here, then you better listen up. I like to wake up early, so I can give you two a little tour before class. Only because it's been years since I last had anyone to talk to here, and it'd be a shame if you _gave up_ on the first day..." Sophie offered. She straightened her posture and opened the door, walking out and holding it open for the two newcomers.

Something about that statement didn't sit right with Lisa and Lana, but nevertheless, they accepted her offer and followed her out of the dorm. Right as soon as they stepped out, however, a loud ringing sounded throughout the whole building. It was a schoolbell. They walked right into Sister Lucerna, who was holding two sheets of paper and two school uniforms. The uniform consisted of a white blouse, a black and blue plaid skirt, a black criss-cross bowtie and Mary Jane shoes.

"Ah, hello, new girls. And… _hello, Sophie." _Lucerna greeted, going from cheerful to slightly condescending. "Here is just what you two will need to get started. Please do hurry up so that you two won't be tardy for your first class. The same goes for you, _Sophie."_

She handed them the stuff she brought and walked away. The three walked back inside and closed the door.

"As you can probably tell, we don't get along very well." Sophie said. She started taking off her pajamas and changed into her uniform in the corner, right then and there.

Normally, Lana would have commented on her distaste for such an outfit, but she couldn't help but steal glances at Sophie. She decided to just let her finish up, you know, to know how to put it on.

"Huh… despite the relationship of yours being obviously not something either of you are happy with, I must say at least these uniforms have a very high quality." Lisa said, making both girls stare at her, confused.

"You're weird, four eyes." Sophie said.

"Yeah, Lisa's pretty weird, but that's what makes her fun once you get to know her better." Lana commented, chuckling a bit. "But what's _not_ fun are these _goily outfits!"_

"Goily?"

"My sister has the tendency to create terms to fit her description of situations she despises." Lisa clarified. "She just thinks that this word has a better sounding than 'girly' I suppose."

"Okay, I take it back. Both of you are weird." Sophie rolled her eyes. "But I suppose that would make having the two of you for company more fun. At least, the closest thing to 'fun' I could have at a place like this."

"Damn right we're weird, and damn right it sounds better!" Lana pridefully exclaimed.

Sophie shrugged and continued putting the uniform on, while Lana kept shifting her eyes towards her, doing her best to make it not obvious she was doing so. Sophie didn't seem to notice, and if she did, she didn't say anything.

"_Lana, you better start changing as well."_ Lisa whispered in her ear, trying to make sure Lana wouldn't be in trouble for a series of reasons.

"_Fuck!" _Lana whispered back and started changing into her own uniform as quickly as she could. "I have no idea how you can stand wearing this thing, Sophie." She said, gesturing towards the skirt. "It's so breezy and feels like it could slip off. It doesn't even have shorts inside."

"Meh, you get used to it after a while. Trust me though, I know what you mean."

"Y-you do?"

"Yeah, it's worse during softball practice when you gotta kick high and everything. Luckily, it's only the newcomers that point and laugh about it, everyone else knows not to say anything. Pissing someone off here has serious consequences around here."

"Ah, yeah, that sounds like it wouldn't be fun and- wait, softball practice? As in… you get to go outside?"

"Don't get too excited. You have the indoor 'sports area'. No matter what place you're around here, it will be surrounded by 4 walls, that you can be sure of."

"Oh…" Lana said, a little bit crestfallen. "How do you even get fresh air then?"

"Closest thing to fresh air we get is opening the windows, and the center of this place is technically open. Other than that, say goodbye to daylight."

After that pep talk they made their way out of the dorm again and did their best to find their classes. For the most part they were just following Sophie and hoping she would be in a class with them, since at the moment she seemed to be their best chance of fitting in. Lucky for them, they did in fact have the same homeroom class, and that's where they found themselves, barely making it on time.

"Okay, so just a reminder." Sophie said. "Don't get in trouble. So stay with your mouth shut, and praise God whenever someone talks to you. And also, don't _ever _do anything to piss someone off, unless _they _piss you off first. In that case, don't be a pussy, because that'll piss them off more." She said, going through the door with the younger girls following her. "Well, we'll speak again after class. Welcome to 'Heaven'."


	12. A Brand Hammering New School

Lisa and Lana remained still in place as Sophie made her way to the back of the classroom. The place already seemed quite full. Groups of girls were spread around, and while all of them had the same uniform, it was clear that there was some sort of rivalry between them. Though, neither of the sisters could tell exactly which groups were enemies nor why.

They felt a presence behind them, and both of them turned around to see a big woman, mostly vertically rather than horizontally, but that didn't make her less intimidating. Lisa and Lana faced upwards to see her white skin, and her dark hair tied in a ponytail. She faced the two them with curious eyes, examining the two.

"Uhh, hi. Can I help you?" Lana asked.

"I assume you must be the two new girls to join our community, as Sister Lucinda was just telling me about." She said, still examining them. "Is that correct?"

"Yeah, though we plan on only staying for a few days. Do you know Sophie, though? She was being a bit spooky about that."

"Oh, you've met her." She said, her tone getting a bit darker. "God forgive me for saying this, but Sophie is one of our… most troubled students. So it's understandable she might tell a couple lies about our institution. But I can assure you, as long as you don't attempt to do any harm, you'll have a place in ours and God's heart."

"She's my sister and I's roommate. And thank you, we appreciate it."

"Of course, my dear." She said, giving a small smile to the two. "Oh, apologies, I didn't even ask for your names."

"Name's Lana, and that's Lisa over there. She's a huge nerdy smartypants." Lana snickered. Lisa simply rolled her eyes.

"Well, usually I don't allow insults in my class, but she doesn't seem offended. I'll just ask you two to avoid swears or other curses during class. I assume this won't be an issue, will it?"

Lana tilted her head in confusion. "I mean, I didn't really mean it as an insult, but okay. And no, ma'am, it won't be." Though she could see the reasoning behind the rule, she was a little bummed that she'd have to go back to only cussing in her thoughts. "And, I don't think I got your name either." She took her hat off to scratch an itch and put it back on.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I almost forgot. My apologies. You may call me Sister Taeda. And… I see you wear a cap…"

Remembering what happened between her and Karen, she stiffened up a bit. "...yes, I do." She said nervously, instinctively placing both of her hands on it and pressing it down.

"Look, the rules say that you're not allowed to wear hats, however I can see you do like it quite a bit." She sighed. "Let's make a little deal, Lana. You take off your hat during our prayings, and remain seated in the back, so it won't become an obstacle to any of my other students. You think we can work that way?"

"Hmm… yeah, that works. I like the back anyway. So… we won't have any problems, right?"

"As long as you don't hide any cheats on it in the test day." She said, petting Lana a bit. "Now please, take any seat you wish, as I must start Math class."

Lana purred a little bit without realizing it. "I promise."

She and Lisa walked into the classroom, taking the last two empty seats that just so happened to be in the back. The desks and seats weren't in the most neat conditions, but that was okay. They could see Sophie in the corner, and she seemed ready to go back to sleep. Lana couldn't really blame her.

"Good morning, class!" The teacher shouted from the front of the class, where a big blackboard was there, waiting to be filled.

"Good morning, Sister Taeda." All the girls, except for Lisa and Lana, who were caught by surprise, repeated her name in almost a uniform and single tone.

"Before we start, let's pray to God and thank him for this one more day of our lives." She declared. Lana was quick to remove her hat in the only time she was required. Maybe things weren't going to be so bad after all, she hoped.

Lana noticed basically all the girls with her heads down and their hands together. She copied the position and then they started praying. To not feel like she was remaining silent, she tried to repeat what everyone else was saying, but she wasn't able to do it without feeling people were noticing her, so she just kept silent and literally prayed that nobody noticed. Besides, she didn't know Latin.

What seemed odd was that Lisa seemed to know exactly what she was doing, and Lisa was the last person Lana expected to know a single thing about religion or prayers. Maybe their history or something like that, but she swore that she seemed just like another of those many girls all together in the classroom.

Once that was done, the rest of the people in the classroom lifted their heads up and started taking out pencils and pieces of paper. Which neither of the Loud sisters happened to have on them.

Lana tapped the shoulder of the person sitting in front of her. "Hey, could ya spot me a pencil or two and some paper?"

"Shh!" She said. Lana thought she was rude, and even if 5 seconds later the girl gave her two pieces of paper and two small pencils, she was still miffed. She then passed Lisa one of the sheets of paper and a pencil, who accepted it.

"Okay everyone. Today, we'll continue our practice with equations and inequalities. I'll write a few exercises on board, and you'll have 3 minutes for each one." Sister Taeda declares, as she grabbed a piece of chalk and began writing. Since the classroom had various different generations of students mixed together, which was already iffy, all the exercises were of varying levels of difficulty. However, Lana didn't seem to remember how to solve those. Math wasn't really her favorite subject, to say the least.

"_Yo, Lis, can you help me out?_" Lana whispered.

"You're having trouble with problems this simple?!" Lisa quietly replied. "This is the basis of any problem solving exercises revolving math."

"_I'm not good at math, alright? And even then I'm still not the worst at it, but… can you help me?" _She pleaded.

"_Sigh_, sure sibling, I can aid you." Lisa said, approaching her. "What seems to be the problem?"

Lana turned the paper sideways so that Lisa could see what she was dealing with. It was a typical long division problem. "_Everything!"_

"Lana, everything can't be a problem. I know you've seen this sort of calculations many times before. You have two numbers, one divided by the other. What are you not remembering about that?"

"_Yeah but this is with the long division thingy. This little symbol of suffering." _She pointed to the divisor.

"Okay okay, calm down." Lisa asked. "Look, you're dividing a big number by a smaller one. Speaking in a way you can understand, start by the digit of the left. If it's bigger than the divisor, in this case the smaller number, you write how many times the smaller number fits in the bigger one. If it's not, write zero on the quotient, and include the next number to the right, until you can divide."

"_Ohhhh okay. You know, you explain things a lot easier than they used to back in Royal Woods Middle School… Royal Woods… yeah." _She got to work, still not 100 percent confident in her math skills but more ready to tackle the task at hand. She did the same thing for the rest of the problems that were similar.

"They never allowed me to work there, though." Lisa completed. "Unfortunate, but it's their loss." She said, a bit bored.

"_Wait, didn't you used to teach at a university though?"_

"You think that was my first attempt at an academic profession?"

"You two, please focus on your papers!" The teacher exclaimed from the front of the class.

They let out an "_eep!" _in surprise and quickly went back to silently doing their work, as the rest of the class did. Lana felt a bit sad, since she realized she wouldn't be able to do the rest of the exercises without some help as well. So, she just remained there, biting the end of the pencil while internally screaming and waiting for the class to end, as she saw almost everyone seeming like they knew what they were doing.

Soon, though, she saw a small piece of wrapped paper land on her desk. Unwrapping it, she noticed that there were math instructions and explanations to all the questions fit on a piece of paper cut in half. Looking to the side, she noticed Lisa just hanging back in the chair, facing her with a small smile.

Lana mouthed '_thank you' _to her with a gleeful expression and sped through the rest of the exercises. When they were all done she quickly stuffed the slip of paper into a blouse pocket. The last thing she needed was to look like she was cheating on her first day. One first day for something had already been ruined some time ago, and she wasn't too keen on repeating that experience if she could help it. Soon, the class ended, and Lana sighed in relief when everything seemed to have worked out.

The two girls stood up and went towards the hallway. "I'm glad this is over. I don't stand math. Thanks a lot for the help."

"Consider it a professional courtesy." Lisa said, as they stood near a wall to avoid being an obstacle to all the other people around. "So, should we head towards our next class?

"We have more classes?" Lana asked, surprised, as she pulled out her schedule. "Ugh, da- _dang it, _dang it. The last thing I needed was geography class!"

"Geography?" Lisa asked, checking her own schedule. "But… mine says that the second class is History…"

"Oh come on, we're in separate classes too?"

"I… assume we should just meet later then?" Lisa asked, facing Lana. "I-it's not a long period of time… a-after all."

"Y-yeah, that's true. Lunchtime should be soon, hopefully."

"O-okay… a-and perhaps we'll share some other classes." Lisa theorized. "So… I-I guess we should get going…"

"Yeah, I guess we should…"

They solemnly turned and went in opposite directions to their next classes. None of them were sure of why, but they felt a bit empty as they walked distant to each other. They tried to shake that feeling off and focused on the rest of the day. It wouldn't take too long until they saw each other again.

* * *

The rest of the classes had the three separated from each other as well, which was a bit of a bummer for the sisters, but they managed. By the time lunch rolled around, the Louds and Sophie grouped together again. Their eating spot was not exactly a table, but they were also free from anyone annoying them, so it was probably worth it.

"So, how first day is going for you two?" Sophie asked, sarcastically.

"Y'know, it's actually been pretty okay!" Lana said confidently, holding her head high and putting her hands on her hips. "Though I'm still a little uneasy…" She admitted, not nearly as confidently.

"Some of the classes are a bit inaccurate to new discoveries, so it was quite average." Lisa said, facing down a blue tray with some sort of mixture in a plate. "Uh, Sophie-"

"Don't ask it four eyes. I've eaten this for years and I still don't know what it is."

"Ehh, mystery meat will do." Lana said, and dove right into her meal. "For the record, I don't even know if it _is _meat, but it tastes fine."

"How do you even bare eating this? I'm starving, but this is despising enough for me to prefer starvation."

"When it's either eat or die of hunger, you bare with what you have." Sophie said, taking a spoonful of the mystery meat and shoving in her mouth. "Besides, usually they serve breakfast before class, but since you two got in here, I lost track of time and had to go to class hungry."

"Oh… I'm sorry about that." Lana apologized. "So, is breakfast and dinner like this too?"

"Thankfully not!" Sophie exclaimed. "At night, it's usually soup of some sort. At breakfast, mostly bread, butter jelly, cereal, those sorts of things."

"That works. Then again, I'll eat almost anything, so…"

"Anything?" Sophie asked, smirking.

"Don't doubt her, Sophie. Believe me, she will eat anything that her teeth can crush."

Lana nodded her head rapidly with her tongue sticking out between her left canine tooth and incisor.

"Okay, now I wanna see that." Sophie said, smirking. "I just need something really weird…"

"Like what?" Lana asked.

"I don't know… you think you can handle whatever is in the kitchen's trash?"

Lana started chuckling softly, before it turned into a full uproarious bout of guffawing. "Oh please, I've had samples from the Royal Woods Dump before and I've been fine. Lead the way."

"Uh, Lana, I'm not sure if that's a wise ide-"

"Shut up four-eyes! You're ruining the fun."

"If this is what you consider fun, then go have it. I won't risk getting in trouble for something so potentially dangerous."

"Lisa, nothing's gonna happen, I promise." Lana told her. Just as she got up from her seat, Sophie had turned around and accidentally knocked her ass right into her face. Not expecting it, Lana stumbled back a little bit but quickly regained her balance. However, her face heated up and color had risen up in her cheeks. "S-sorry, sorry."

"Whatever. Let's just go already." Sophie said, as she didn't face Lana.

"I-I must use the bathroom, so I'll see you two in a couple minutes." She then raced off out of the cafeteria.

Lisa looked over at her retreating form strangely. "Okay then." She simply said, and went back to picking at her food. She wasn't totally sure what happened to Lana, but it was weird.

Just then, Lana raced right back inside to the same table. "I have no idea where the bathrooms are."

"Follow the main hallway, third door to the right. Can't miss the sign." Sophie said, focusing on her own food.

"O-okay, I'll uhh… I-I'll see ya ar-around s-soon!" She stuttered, and ran right back out the way she went before while the heat and color rose in her cheeks even more. "_Dammit, what the hell is going on with me?!" _She questioned herself in her thoughts.

"Did I already tell you your sister is weird?" Sophie asked.

"You're not the first person to say that, and neither is it your first time saying that." I

"I mean, you're weird too, but her especially. She's fun though, but… do you happen to know why she's acting like that?"

"I honestly have no clue." Lisa lied. She had a few theories, but she wouldn't share them until she was certain, especially considering that she wasn't the main topic. "So, uh… soon the day will be over. I notice we only have two other classes… what you usually do in the remaining evening and night?"

"Not much, unless you're with the study group or the softball team. Other than that, I guess you just find a book and read it until the lights go out. At least the books are kind of interesting, but when you've been here for as long as I have, all the same material over and over gets boring." Sophie took a gulp of water to get the mystery meat to go down easier, and to help get the taste out of her mouth. "Hey four eyes, quick question. You ain't really religious, are you?"

"Not really, no." Lisa confessed. "I assume we share the same beliefs, despite you living here."

"You're smart, Lis. Yeah, I gave up believing in God or whatever some time ago. But that's beyond the point, and nothing's all black and white. I mean, the whole idea is supposed to give people hope and stuff, right…?" The dark-haired girl sighed. "How did you know how to pray, and the exact words of the prayers? I saw you, unlike your sister, handling the thing very well on the first class. If you ain't Catholic, how do you know about it?"

"Just because I'm an atheist does not mean I'm not aware of the rich culture religion has developed. I took my time to study their rituals, and therefore some remained memorized. Also, just because my interests lean more towards what can be proven with concrete evidence doesn't mean that I can't be interested in other things. I for one think that the history and stories that go along with religion can be quite interesting."

"Hmm. You'd like that study group then, a lot of the stuff there is about history and such." Sophie mused. "Not my type, though. They're just a bunch of people who can't take their noses out of books."

"Didn't you just say that you read a lot too, though?"

"What I said was that there isn't much else to do around here. Those girls don't stop reading and studying, even to go to the bathroom."

Speaking of which, Lana returned to the cafeteria and took her seat again. Her face was still a little bit flushed, but not nearly as much as before. "Sorry I took so long. So, where were we?"

"We were going to see you eat trash, but I think the bell won't take too long to ring now." Sophie said. Just then, all of them heard the bell ring, and so both Lisa and Sophie stood up to take their trays back to place and go to the last classes of the day.

"Oh. Well, there'll be a next time, right? The trash isn't going anywhere. Or well, there'll be more. Don't doubt me, though, my bite's probably like that of a venomous snake or something at this point."

Lisa and Sophie both stared at Lana who seemed to be a bit nervous.

"I'll say it again, you're weird, but you seem cool. Try not to screw it up." Sophie said.

"A lotta people say that I'm weird, I've grown used to it. They're right, really."

"I don't doubt it one bit." Lisa completed, facing Lana and rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, but you almost act like a wild animal." She added.

"Ah, well, I'm also a huge fan of animals." She declared. "Back home I used to have a lot of pets that… that…"

"Uh, sibling? Is there anything unusual going on?" Lisa asked, as both her and Sophie looked at her frozen in place.

"_Shit! I forgot about them!" _Lana whisper-shouted.

"Them, who?" Lisa asked.

"Also, what is shit?" Sophie added in.

Lisa and Lana exchanged confused glances, like it should be obvious for the 15 year old what shit was.

"Oh yeah, the 'no swearing' rule." Lana realized. "But Charles and Cliff! Lisa, we forgot about them in the room!"

"_Who is-?" _Sophie tried to ask, but before she could complete her sentence, Lisa and Lana dashed away, and so she followed behind, Lana holding what was left of their lunch, as the only food source she actually had in hand and could be an appropriate meal. Definitely better than feeding them fruits and veggies, like _some _people do... probably. At least there had to be some sort of protein there. They went through the corridors until they've reached their own room. Quickly unlocking it with the key they got earlier, Lisa opened the door for Lana to enter.

They hopped inside and closed the door, locking it behind them. The blanket that Lisa and Lana were holding earlier was strewn open on the bed. Charles and Cliff were sluggishly walking around the room, trying to make sense of their new surroundings. Cliff in particular was brushing up against everything.

"Wh- _what is this? Are these your pets?" _Sophie asked, confused and slightly angry. Meanwhile, Lana crouched towards the two pets, placing the trays on the floor and wrapped them in her arms.

"You know what pets are?" Lana asked, still hugged.

"Why wouldn't I know what pets are?"

"...you didn't know what shit was."

"Oh hardy har har, can you just explain what's going on here? Pets aren't allowed in this place."

"I figured." Lana said, standing up. "And I told Sister Lucerna that it was clothes instead. I already lost 'em once and I don't wanna lose them again! I couldn't risk that."

"You know how much trouble you could get me in with these things in my room?!"

"_I suppose you can't really get in more trouble assuming your reputation around this place."_ Lisa said to herself.

"I heard that." Sophie grumbled. "But you've gotta make sure nobody finds out about them, otherwise _all our behinds are grass!"_

"Y'know, that really doesn't sound as good as it does with a particular swear." Lana said observantly. "But Lisa and I already know how to keep these two a secret, we did it in the place we were at before we woke up at this place."

"Which technically only worked for a few weeks." Lisa added.

"Yeah, but we still did it for some time. Gotta give the both of us some credit for that."

"Even so, where you think you'll get food for them? And if they dare to use the bathroom in my room-"

"There's a window right there. I could just hold them out of there while they do their business. No biggie." Lana pointed towards a small window on the wall that was on the right side of the bed. It was much too small for a person to crawl out of, but looked just fine for a cat or a dog to be taken in and out of it with no problem.

"Ugh… whatever I guess. Just don't let them cause trouble here. I don't like animals."

"Why not?" Lana asked. "Come on, Charles and Cliff are very nice, right guys?"

To agree with what Lana said, they stood in front of Sophie, giving her a giant smile, and their eyes seemed to be shining.

"_Awwww." _Sophie said, as the two approached and got closer to her. She crouched and laughed a bit as Charles licked her face and Cliff purred as it received a cuddle from the 15 year old. "Okay, they're cute, but that does not make them legal here. You two don't want to get in trouble. Also we're probably already in trouble since we're late for class."

"_Shite!" _Lana uttered. She gave the pets the remaining mystery meat and stayed for a few seconds to make sure they ate and booked it out of the room. Lisa followed suit, with Sophie behind them asking what a "shite" was.

They soon arrived to class, which was one they'd have together. They ran and reached the door, opening it in a burst, in a way they couldn't have called more attention towards themselves.

"Where were the three of you?!" The teacher asked, angrily.

Lana and Sophie weren't sure on what to answer. Thankfully for them, Lisa walked forward.

"Pardon us for missing the time, Sister. We were in the middle of a prayer chapel during lunch time, and unfortunately we were in such a connection with God, we've miscalculated the time it took for it to finish."

The teacher eyed the three girls, and Lana and Sophie just nodded in agreement. "Okay, fine. Just please keep an eye on the time next time, alright? Now come in and take your seats."

The three of them walked towards the back of the class, where the only seats remained, getting a few couple eyes facing them with a bad expression, as the teacher continued her lecture.

"Good thinking, four eyes." Sophie said, as she took her seat.

"Someone has to do the thinking. Now we better stay quiet, since we're already on target." They all sat down, and hoped they'd be clear for the rest of the day.

"Hey uh, thanks for saving us all back there. If it weren't for you, we'd be screwed." Lana whispered quietly to Lisa.

"No biggie."


	13. Triskaidekaphobia

_**(A/N): Ah, (un)lucky number 13, my favorite number actually. Apologies for this being a little bit late. And I'm also sorry that things aren't moving all that fast yet, another slow period I guess. There was another event that was originally planned for this chapter, but the collaborator and I didn't want to make this chapter too long. So, it'll just show up in the next one instead.**_

* * *

Dinner time wasn't exactly anything special. Like Sophie said, everyone got soup, minestrone soup to be exact. It actually didn't taste that bad, better than mystery meat anyway. And it was obviously better than starving. And while they were nearing the end of winter and the start of spring, it was still winter, so it was helpful to warm their bodies up.

"So, what do you think of your… _first day?_" Sophie asked, with a bit of disgust in her voice.

"Y'know, it… wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. We're still not gonna be living here or anything like that though." Lana replied. She nudged Lisa's arm with her elbow lightly. "Right, Lisa?"

"Agreed. This place presents its flaws, but we might be leaving you soon. It has some flaws that, while bearable, are preferable to be avoided. No offense to you personally, Sophie."

"None taken. I'm warning you, though…" Sophie said in a low voice. "Once you're here, you won't be leaving. This _is _your home now."

"Sophie, please, I ask you, do you seriously think you'll convince me this will be our home for the rest of our lives?" Lisa said, slightly annoyed. "I understand that your life is not easy, but you can't expect to-"

"You know nothing, four eyes!" She exclaimed, facing down to her bowl of food. "If you did, you'd know what I'm talking about. I've seen lots of different people arrive here, and when I tried to warn them, they never believed me on the first day. This is nothing new to me."

"There were others?" Lana asked.

"Not a lot of them, but yes, a couple." Sophie explained. "They usually find some other people and I'm left alone. Honestly I'm glad. Never met such annoying people."

"And those people are still here?"

"To my knowledge, yes. Then again, I've been here for so long that everyone here has just been blurred into a single face to me. None of them stand out, and none of them ever will again."

"I can't disagree on that." Lisa interrupted. "All of these people seem quite indistinguishable, by personality or by clothing. Perhaps the hair color is the only main difference."

"That's what happens when you've been here long enough. It saddens me to know that it'll most likely happen to you two as well. The weirdness is a nice breath of fresh air that I haven't had in years."

"No we won't." Lana objected. "Look, I'm not gonna go and say '_I'm a special snowflake!'_ or anything like that, but Lisa and I stand out pretty nicely, I'd say."

"That's what they all say… I guess."

"Mmm. So… what happened with you?"

"I… I already told you I don't like to talk about it." Sophie said, not staring at them. "It doesn't matter anyway."

"Well, I meant about standing out and such, but I understand." Lana said, finishing her meal. "So, should we go back to the room, or are we supposed to do something else?"

Sophie tapped her chin for a moment before remembering something. "Well, in your case, there's something else I should show you." Sophie stood up and wiped her mouth with a napkin, then left the table. The two Louds followed right behind her.

They arrived at their dorm, where the pets were laying on the bottom bunk of the bed. Charles and Cliff jumped out and ran towards the 3. Sophie made sure nobody was looking outside and closed the door. Lana grabbed both of them and sit on the bottom bunk.

"So… in here?" Lana asked, confused.

"No. Just bring the pets, and be _quiet _and _careful_." Sophie ordered. "They cannot stay here. I don't know if I told you, but the Sisters do 'random' checks on our rooms. Needless to say that with my reputation, they're very often done here."

"Oh… then how on Earth are they gonna be taken care of? I thought things were already figured out for food and water." Lana protested.

"And what about everything else? Pets aren't usually very quiet either." Sophie pointed out.

"I guess. But what's your plan?"

"You'll see. Just follow me. Later, anyway. Everyone else is gonna be coming up here so we have to wait."

"For how long?"

"Ehh, shouldn't take longer than an hour or so" Sophie glanced at the clock on the wall. "There's not much to do around here, so people go to bed quite early, and the lights are turned off even quicker.

Once enough time had passed, Lana, with the help of Lisa, wrapped both pets under the blankets they were brought in. They opened the door as quietly as possible, closing and locking it behind them. Sophie tiptoed through the shadows of the hallway, with Lana and Lisa following close behind.

"And avoid the squeaky floorboards. Any of the ones I step on are okay." Sophie advised, carefully avoiding certain ones. "Just follow my moves and we'll be fine."

To the best of their abilities, they followed her steps. It was hard to hold the pets and stay quiet while also keeping steady, but they managed. The shadows provided a good cover too, so if someone came out they could just stand still if anything, even if the place seemed a bit more creepy in the dark. Luckily, they didn't even have to do that, and they soon came across a stairwell that went up another floor. It was blocked by a metal gate.

"It seems that wherever you are taking us is off-limits." Lisa pointed out.

"Why thank you, Captain Obvious. I would never realize that." Sophie said sarcastically. "Is she always like this?" She turned to Lana and asked.

"Yes." Lana answered. "Though sometimes all of her comments are useful, when not annoying."

"Hey!" Lisa exclaimed.

"Be quiet, fours eyes!" Sophie whispered.

"_If I had my lab, you would both be saying farewell to your patellas, street name kneecaps, for your insolence." _Lisa grumbled under her breath. "Okay, Ms. Fallen Angel, what are we doing here?"

"Getting through the gate, of course." Sophie responded matter-of-factly. She took out a bobby pin and put it in the lock. "I only know about this place because back when I first came here, I wanted to explore the whole place." While talking, she had successfully picked the lock. She put the bobby pin back in her blouse pocket and opened the gate as quietly as possible with just enough room for them to get through one at a time.

"I'll repeat my question, what are we doing here, and why did you asked to bring the pets?" Lisa said.

"Be patient, and you'll see."

They closed the gate and walked up the stairwell. It was longer than the one they took to get to their dorm, but not by much. Soon they reached another floor, where a wooden door with a slot for a peephole was, like one would expect on a speakeasy back in the day. Sophie knocked on the door. They waited for a few seconds and nothing happened.

"Uh… was something supposed to happen?" Lisa asked.

"Be patient, four eyes, cause mine towards you is running out." Sophie complained.

Soon enough, they could hear steps coming from the other side. Even if they were surrounded by darkness, they could precise it was coming towards them. The doorslot slid open, the light invading the other's eyes, who had to close them a bit to adapt to the brightness.

"_Password._" A girl in the other side asked.

"_The birds of the park will sing again._" Sophie whispered.

The doorslot slid back closed, and the door itself was unlocked and opened slightly. The girl on the other side had mousey brown hair that went down to her pits. "You don't have a pet. Why do you keep coming here?" She asked.

"You know I've been here a long time, and I've introduced a lot of people to you and your group. You could be a bit more grateful." Sophie replied.

"Go straight to business, or go straight back to your room. We don't have time to lose here." She said.

"Got you a couple more 'friends' that could use your help."

"Hey." Lana greeted, though without waving since her hands were already full.

"Greetings." Lisa said, just wanting to know where this would end.

"So, is it them? Where are their pets?"

"Uh… in the blankets. Come up boys." Lana said. Suddenly, the heads of both Charles and Cliff popped out of the bunch of cloth, facing the stranger in front of them.

"Sophie, who exactly is she?" Lisa asked.

"Just someone who used to be my roommate years ago. She also runs this joint here."

"Awww, they're adorable!" The stranger gushed at the pets. "Come inside."

They walked into the room, and the door was shut behind them. Inside, bright lights shone in the room. They were the kind of lamps that heated up the place, so it was quite warm as well. Lots of other students were chatting away about various topics, while pets of all different shapes, sizes, and species roamed around. There were kennels and tanks around, and the pantry had many different kinds of pet food available. There was also bowls of water on top of a counter around a sink. The mood was much more lively and joyful here than it was anywhere else at any other time in the boarding school.

"Whoa… what is this place?" Lana asked with wonder and amazement, taken aback. "And how did you guys get all this stuff?"

"This is beyond what I'd imagine possible for a place like this to handle, especially considering the restrictions. I repeat my sister's question, how is this possible?"

"We're kind of a pet caring group here. A long time ago we've found this giant room. No one usually comes here, so we made it our own. The pets… well, you wouldn't believe how common it is for students to show up with them, so we take them here so the Sisters don't keep them out. Plus, other students can come here and play around and relax a bit. As for food and water, one of the Sisters provides us with the supplies."

"Really? One of them is on your side?" Lana asked.

"Yeah. Sister Taeda, the math teacher. Did you meet her?"

"Oh yeah, I did. She's pretty chill."

"Unlike the others, yeah, she is. Sometimes she comes up and joins the fun too. It's not like those stereotypical parties kids our age are said to have, but it's a nice way to relax. What're your names, anyway?"

"Mine is Lisa, my sister's Lana." Lisa said. "You seem to have quite a structure here. Quick question though, don't the pets require open space? Where would you find it here? Not questioning your organization, it's much better than we could imagine."

"Name's Beatrice, and things start to fall into place when you've been here for years. As for open space, well… we have the windows open for fresh air, and we have pet toys here. Oh, and you know those mats you use to toilet train pets? They're over there." Beatrice pointed towards a corner in the far back of the room. "Don't worry, it gets cleaned often."

"Not that it's much of a bother to me." Lana said. "Okay, but… why are we here in the first place?"

"Lana, it's obvious." Lisa said. "Sophie wants the pets to remain here so they're safer, and so are we."

"Thank you, four-eyes." Sophie said, sarcastically.

"And stop calling me that." Lisa complained.

"Stop booing me. I'm right."

"Wait, b-but…" Lana interrupted. "T-that means Charles and Cliff won't be with us."

"You're allowed to come up here anytime after dinner, as long as you don't lead anyone we don't want here."

"Lana, they will be safer here. If what Sophie said is true about the random searches in our rooms-"

"I can confirm that. Once we almost lost one of our pets." Beatrice said. She whistled, and a Cockatiel flew towards her, perching on her shoulder. "Luckily, Nigel over here is good at staying hidden."

"Anyways, since we're always in class, we don't see them during the day, and during the night we can come here to visit if you wish. It won't change much."

"I mean… if it's what's best for them…" Lana sighed and placed the blanket onto the ground and let Charles and Cliff explore the place. She draped the blanket over her shoulder and petted them. "I hope you two have a fun time here."

"They will, no need to worry about that." Beatrice reassured her.

"D-do people stay here overnight?"

"I assure you that. Don't think we can leave all of these pets just wandering around without supervision. We have people on their eye 24 hours a day, as you can see we have a lot of people."

"But how do you keep those people during classes?"

"Some of us in Math class stay here. Worst case scenario, they stay alone for a couple minutes till the next group comes for their turn." I

"Huh, that's pretty neat. How long has this group been a thing?"

"Look, I'd love to answer all your questions, but it might not be a good idea for you to stay here for too long." Beatrice said apologetically. "No offense, but if you wait too late to go back to your rooms, you'll either have to sleep here or pray to not get caught by vigilance. And we don't have more room for you three. Just the pets and the people that are staffed for night watching."

"Oh… well, it's nice meeting you. This place is open everyday, right?" Lana asked.

"After dinner, yes. Before that, only staff."

"O-okay then. C-can I just say goodbye?" Lana asked.

"Don't take too long." She said.

Lana looked around and found Charles and Cliff somewhere around where the other pets were lounging around. She called them, and both approached her, as she kneeled in front of them. "I'll be back tomorrow, and so will Lisa, I promise. I won't leave you again. _Sigh_, See you then, I guess." She said solemnly and petted them again before making her way back to the others.

"Don't worry, we'll give them the best treatment." Beatrice clarified. "They're in good hands."

"I sure hope so."

With that, they headed out of the door and back down the stairwell, back to their dorm. They still made sure to be as quiet as they could, but were not as scared of being caught. Luckily they were just in time for no one to be around making sure the area was empty.

"Hey by the way, Sophie, thank you." Lana said quietly, as they entered the bedroom. "For, ya know, worrying about us."

"I didn't worry about you. I worried about me. I don't need your pets causing trouble in my room." She said, going to the drawer to grab her night clothes. She tried her best to put on her cold and aloof persona, though it seemed to crack just a little bit. "_But you're welcome." _She added under her breath.

"So...who takes each bed?" Lana asked them.

"Mine is the top one. It's always been." Sophie clarified.

"So Lisa and I get the bottom bunk, or does one of us sleep on the top bunk too?"

"Umm, there's a single bed over there too." Sophie pointed at it.

"Oh…" Lana said. She realized she accidentally said it in a saddened tone. "I-I mean, oh okay. So who gets what?" She added, trying to cover it up.

"I have no such preference." Lisa clarified. "I honestly just want to rest."

"Alright, I'll take the bottom bunk. Right below the top one, where Sophie is. Yeah."

"Do whatever you want. I have to use the bathroom, so you two try to stay out of trouble." Sophie said, as she left the room. Just as she did and closed the door, Lisa gave Lana a small slap on the back of her head.

"_Ouch_. What was that for?!" She complained.

"Next time, try not to make your interests so obvious." Lisa said.

"M-my interests? What do you mean?" Lana asked nervously.

"Lana, I'm not as stupid as Sophie is. I can see what's going on. Just a warning, you better stop making a fool of yourself, or all you'll get is the reputation of a weird person."

"Ey take that back, she's not stupid!" Lana crossed her arms. "And I'm not making a fool out of myself. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sibling, I'm saying something here, and I need you to listen without judgement. Sophie, she does not come from the same reality as us. She doesn't know what 'shit' means. You think she has any idea of what you're doing? Because if you don't know, imagine her. If you want to approach her, that's none of my business, but don't think it will go nice for you." Lisa explained, seriously.

"Approach her? We're already roommates, so what are you talking about?" A bead of sweat rolled down her face, and she stared at the ground instead of at Lisa.

"Just… just keep what I have in mind, I don't know." Lisa sighed. "I'll go to bed. If you don't want to listen, it's not my fault."

"Okay then… g'night, Lisa." Lana headed over to her own bed on the bottom bunk and changed into her pajamas, the only clothes she had with her other than the school uniform. "We're not staying here forever, right Lisa?"

"For the last time Lana, no, we won't. So don't get too used to the people around here. Soon we'll return to Royal Woods, I promise."

Lana smiled, though the smile faltered a bit. "Alright."

Both of them laid down and faced the walls close to them. By the time Sophie was back, both of them were already snoring. Her cheeks were tinted red a little bit, and she was also pretty exhausted. She eyed her pruney fingers with disgust and a little bit of regret. Glad that her new roommates were already asleep before she was back, she just went towards her bed, and went to sleep as well.

* * *

The three of them were woken up by the same alarm they heard the day before. They all seemed to be slightly tired, yet the feeling quickly faded away as they slowly began to get ready for breakfast.

"At least this morning we'll get something to eat." Lana commented, as she got out of bed and dressed herself into the uniform she was provided with yesterday, with some disdain. "Still not a fan of this uniform though."

"I know what you mean." Sophie said. "But at least nobody can laugh at you since we're all wearing the same thing."

"I don't do _goily _well, but you have a point."

"Can we just go to the main area and have our first meal of the day? I'm starving." Lisa interrupted the two.

Their stomachs growled in response.

"You know what, I'm hungry too." Lana replied. "I didn't get a chance to taste what breakfast is like here yesterday."

"Don't get too excited." Sophie said. "It's not the greatest. Still better than lunch though."

"Did you ever eat out of here to know what's the best or not?" Lisa asked, ironically.

"Not now, four eyes." Sophie threatened.

"The name is Lisa."

"Like I care."

"Guys, enough already. Let's just go get some grub before a pissy fit breaks out." Lana interjected, and headed towards the door.

The other two girls followed in silence, and with a relative distance of each other. Lana approached Lisa, while Sophie creates some distance from the two.

"Hey Lis, ya think it's a good idea for us to talk with Lucinda to get out of here?"

"Hmm… that's a wise idea." Lisa agreed. "We might need some time and resources to properly prepare, but perhaps the institution itself could provide some aid for us to return home. Could we just consume breakfast though? I really require my daily dose of carbohydrates."

"I guess, and yeah. I need some of those too."

"Do you know what carbohydrates are?"

"Yes I do, I took a health class last year so I know enough to at least know that I need them."

"Interesting. Well, let's go have breakfast, and afterwards we shall go after Sister Lucinda."

"Sounds good to me."

And so they went towards the breakfast table. Loads of baskets of bread, butter, jelly, cereal and other dairy items were all spread across the table. It was a meal to be reckoned with. After a prayer to thank God for their meal, and a quick breakfast to have as much time as possible to work with, they've left the table to go and find Sister Lucinda. They managed to find her quick enough, speaking with a few other members of the faculty.

Lana daringly tapped her shoulder, despite her nervousness. "Uhh, 'scuse me. Can we ask you something?"

"Oh, I'm very sorry my dear, could you wait just a little bit? I must finish this conversation, it's important. Afterwards I can give you full attention." She declared.

"Oh… well, how long do you think we'll need to wait?"

"Please be patient. I'll be done in a few minutes." She said, as she turned around and went back to her discussion.

Lana and Lisa awaited some time for her to finish, more than enough for them to hear the bell indicating they had to go to class, but they still stood there. They didn't have a watch on them, and it felt like hours for Lana. Lisa counted and knew it took exactly 1,397 seconds.

After that time, the other members dispersed, and Sister Lucinda turned back to the girls. "I'm sorry for making you wait girls. How can I help you? Is there any problem?"

"Uhh, well… first of all, I'd like to thank you for your…" Lana paused to think of the word. "I'd like to thank you for your hospitality. Though, yesterday, Lisa and I wanted some directions for elsewhere, and I was wondering if we could get those now?"

"Oh…" she said, a bit surprised. "But where exactly would you go? Yesterday you were alone on the streets, while here you have everything you need!"

"Uhh, well…" Lana lightly nudged Lisa's arm.

"You see, Sister Lucinda, we do have people to look after us." She explained. "Your institution here has a great initiative and intentions, but we're not meant to be here. We do have a family. The reason we reached your front door was… in a simple way of putting it, a series of unfortunate events that, in session, ended with us here."

"Yeah, what she said. Again, thank you, but we really should get going, and we'd need directions for that."

"Look girls… I'm sorry, but I can't simply leave you two wander out on your own. This place is responsible for you two, and we can't allow two minors to just wander around the streets with our consent."

"Well, then… couldn't someone come _with _us? If it's not too much trouble, of course."

"I'm not sure I can let that happen. I have superiors I answer, and they insist that I must not let students wander outside the domains of the institution unless their parents or responsible for them come to pick them up."

"The thing is, we were just dropped off here yesterday. Literally just woke up in front of the place on the ground."

"Exactly. Plus, our parents are in the hospital, and the ones responsible for us simply abandoned us in front of your establishment. We have to return to our family."

"Okay, I understand. Perhaps… if we can come in contact with one of your family members, perhaps we can work this way out, though you said they were in the hospital, yes? You could just remain here while they recover."

The two sisters looked towards each other with hesitation. Lana in particular was quite hesitant. "N-no, thanks, really. We just want to go home, okay? No offense to this place, we just wanna see our family again."

"I see then. I'll do all in my power so that you can reunite with your family. Do you have any phone numbers I can contact your family with?"

Both of them opened their mouth to speak, but nothing came out from them. Lana had no idea what the numbers were in her memory, and while Lisa did know, she realized that there was no use calling phones that were most likely carbonized.

"Well… no. We kinda lost our phones a long while ago."

"They were burned alongside our entire home." Lisa added. "That's why our family remains in the hospital."

"Oh, heavens! I am so sorry to hear that. My condolences. God may have mercy of your family."

"Thanks, but right now we need to find a way to get back to them!"

"Well, where are they recovering right now? The name of the hospital, you must have it, right?"

"Lis?"

"I… I didn't pay attention…" Lisa confessed. "It was an establishment in another city, I didn't take the time to notice which unit of healthcare it was…"

"Well, I don't know what to tell you two, then. It seems that you two will need to remain here for the time being."

"What?!" Lana exclaimed, a bit too loudly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you with that with so little to work with. I'll try and do what I can, but for now, just head to class, please, and we'll figure out what we can do." She said, turning around and walking away, leaving the two out in the hallway, a bit dumbfounded. That is, until Lana gave Lisa a small hit on the back of the head, which made her fall into the ground since she was distracted.

"_Ooh, _okay I didn't mean to do it that hard." She winced and apologized, helping her back up.

"What was that even for?!" Lisa exclaimed.

"Seriously? You know how to pray in Latin, but you can't remember the hospital name?! If you did, then we'd be outta here by now!"

"Well, I didn't see you making an effort to remember it either!"

"Well yeah, but at least I don't waste my time knowing who died in December of 1963-!"

"Thomas , Herbert H. Lehman-"

"I wasn't actually asking about that! Yesterday you were yapping at me about-" Lana stopped herself before her big mouth got the best of her. "Nevermind. Just… dammit Lis, of all the things you could've known… the one thing we needed, you don't."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?! With everything happening, I was more worried about how our family was doing, rather than where they were, since there were people who I thought we could trust that knew the location."

"You know that Karen was out to get us from the very day we got there! But… there's nothing we can do about that now. Not that I know of, anyway." Lana covered her face with her hands and let out a drawn-out muffled whimper, both in frustration and sadness.

"I… I apologize, Lana." Lisa said, facing down. "I assured you that we'd be out as soon as possible, yet… I failed you."

Lana removed her hands from her face and sighed. "I mean… it's not like I've been any better. I didn't know something like this would have happened, and it's not like either of us can see the future." She admitted. "So… any plans?"

"Let me think…" Lisa said, rubbing her chin. "Okay… so, since we did visit Luan in the hospital, she's aware that we are not diseased due to the fire. If she, alongside the rest of our family, can go after the Marltons, since they're supposed to take care of us, it might be just a matter of time until they find us here."

"Okay, technically that's not a bad plan. But… how do we expect her or the others to find a way to contact them, let alone find us at some random boarding school? And how long would that even take?"

"I… I don't know, but they will find us. The Marlton's aren't allowed to get rid of us the way they did. Eventually they'll confess where we were brought, and so we will be freed from here. It might take some time, though."

"We don't know that, though. Some stuff gets taken to the grave with some people, y'know? Not every secret is let out."

"It's our only hope, Lana. For someone that spoke a lot about it, you should have a bit more while we wait."

"Spoke a lot about what?"

"About hoping. Remember, various instances in the past?" Morning

"Oh… yeah, I do. You know what, you're right. We can't let this little thing break us down! Sure, it throws a wrench into the plan, but we'll get through it." Lana said with a newfound vigor. "I hope, anyway."

"So… I assume we should just go to class before we miss it entirely?"

"Right… and tell the teacher we were doing morning prayers and stuff, correct?"

"Something along those lines." Is

"Well then, let's go. We'll… we'll get through this." Lana tried to reassure both Lisa and herself, and off they went to their first class of the day.


	14. All Dogs Go To Heaven

By now, the two newcomers had spent a few weeks at the boarding school. Their plans on getting out to find their family members had been unwillingly pushed into the back of their mind. They had been focused mostly on school activities and the secret pet club upstairs. That, and their hope for escape had been dwindling more and more as time passed. After all, what can you do when your main plan is to wait?

It was now March 10th, also known as the 69th day of the year. It was a special day, but that wasn't the only reason why. For you see, even after a tragic event, some things can't be paused in a person's life. The alarm rang through the three-roommate dorm. It was a common sound that all three of them detested, Lana especially. Instead of sitting up and opening her eyes, she simply shifted around in the covers and grumbled something incomprehensible.

"Lana, you know you must leave the comfort of your bed to attend class. It's no use to simply remain there complaining about reality."

Still keeping her eyes closed, Lana rolled in the direction she heard the voice coming from. "_No, I'd rather get off with a pair of scissors to portuguese scat porn than get up." _She tiredly said the first thing that crossed her mind. She rolled back over the other way in an attempt to get back to sleep.

"What is she even talking about?" Sophie asked.

"You wouldn't desire to know." Lisa sighed. "And I'm quite sure there's no internet connection for you to have access to such content, unless, of course, we consider the mentors might have such technology. It would require, of course, stealing from them and-"

Lana's eyes shot open and she leapt out of the covers. "_Nononono_, that's gross, I didn't mean that literally! Look, I'm getting up, are you happy now? _Okay?!"_

"_Not _necessarily _happy, but rather less annoyed than I was before."_ Lisa confessed, seeing Lana jump out of her bed. "They always warn us, be careful what you wish for, but no one ever listens."

"I was just being sarcastic and mornings suck, that should've been obvious." Lana complained.

"Seriously, what are you two talking about?" Sophie asked again.

"Nothing. This is stupid. I should've… I should've just left it at the scissors thing, that'd be less painful than dealing with this first thing in the morning." She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled before getting dressed. "Don't need this on the 69th day of the year…" And just like that, the train of thought kept going, giving her a reminder of what else made that specific day special.

"Why exactly do you keep such a number and date in your mind? Especially since it only accounts for non-leap years? Usually I'm the one to keep track of such dates."

"Lisa, I happen to have been born on this very day. The 69th day of the year, and sometimes 70th which isn't as nice as 69, but whatever." Now clad in the uniform that she had begrudgingly gotten used to, she smiled proudly despite what had just transpired. "Today I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a _teenager!"_

"Does it honestly change something, considering the situation we find ourselves in?" Lisa asked. "I mean, no offense, but you becoming a teenager doesn't change much while we're living here."

"Four eyes is right." Sophie agreed. "Happy birthday, though. At least you have one…"

"I mean, that's true but hey, it's still a birthday." Lana replied, before taking in what else Sophie had said. Her smile drooped a bit. "Uhh, whaddya mean? Don't you celebrate yours too? When _is _yours, anyway?"

"You think I have any idea? I don't _know_ when I was born." Sophie sighed, not facing them. "Nobody really bothered telling me, and those who know aren't even here."

"Oh… well, birthdays are pretty cool, so maybe we could share today, if you'd want to." Lana offered.

"R-really?" She asked, turning her face a bit, but quickly moving it away. "I-I mean, no, thank you. It's your day. Plus, I don't really care. What's even to celebrate in my life?"

"Well, it's like a… checkpoint in a way, and you're celebrating making it another year and there'd be all sorts of new stuff that you'll be ready to do now that you're older. Sometimes it's like a rite of passage, and sometimes it's just a fun little thing where you get gifts and eat cake and spend time with people that are close to you. You don't even have to do the first two, it's more so about the last thing." Lana tried to explain to the best of her ability, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm not that great at explaining stuff, but yeah. I mean, there's the pet club upstairs, maybe we could have a fun time there later. And how old are ya, anyway? Never got the chance to ask."

"I don't know my birthday, what makes you think I'd know my age?!" Sophie exclaimed.

"By the analysis of development of your secondary sexual organs, my estimate is 15.23 years old."

"AHH!" Sophie exclaimed, with the young nerd somehow popping below her just staring at her body with a notebook she somehow had with her. She was almost lifting Sophie's skirt, but she was quick to force it down.

"Too low of a guess, you believe?"

"Stay away from me, four eyes!"

Meanwhile, Lana snickered upon hearing the phrase "secondary sexual organs." The laughing quickly stopped after hearing what else Lisa had to say, and noticed what nearly happened. Her cheeks turned red a little bit before giving her sister an incredulous look, as if to say "_and you say _I'm _being obvious?"_

Lisa saw her, and made a nodding expression, before going back to her notebook like she hadn't seen anything. "I assume we should be going now, so we have the time to have breakfast and arrive to class without being late."

"Alright, so I'll see you two there, I guess." Sophie said. She passed by and gave Lana a small smile, not expecting her to catch it.

She did, and she smiled back. "_Lisa, what was that back there?" _She whispered in vexation to the nerd once Sophie was out of earshot.

"You'll have to be a little more specific." Lisa said.

"Wh- you know what I mean. Don't play dumb. You're the last person that should play dumb."

"I'm not playing dumb. You must be specific on what you wish me to give detail about. If it was by the disturbance of .3 meters per second in the wind speed, it's different from asking why there was an increase of blood circulating in your facial area."

She brought a hand up to her right cheek, finding it to in fact be warmer. "I- what are you talkin' about? It's just hot in here, y'know..." She was often aware that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, but this was not one of those times.

"We're still at the end of winter, and we only have a sort of heating system in the classrooms." Lisa pointed out. "But regardless what were you complaining about again?"

"N-nevermind." Lana grumbled, and made her way towards the door. "Let's just get breakfast."

And so they headed towards the 'cafeteria' where they could get the most decent meal of the day, as lunch was despised and dinner wasn't as fulfilling as breakfast. The main issue wasn't the same meals every day, as the Louds were already used to that sort of system. The problem was that most of the time Lisa would remain hungry during the day, as she didn't manage to actually eat lunch. Lana was mostly fine with it.

And so, they were having their routine breakfast, mixed with dozens or maybe hundreds of girls that were as easy to distinguish as a truck filled with watermelons. The noise was audible, but every day the voices began to sound even more of the same, like nobody in that place had any sort of personality during those moments. They could see what Sophie meant on the first day they arrived.

When breakfast was near its end, and the three girls were preparing to go to their first class of the day, and Lana cursing whoever thought it was a good idea to put Math as the first class of every single day of the week, however, one of the random girls stopped the three, or technically Lana, but that made the other two stop on their tracks. The random girl pushed Lana away from the crowd of students moving towards their classroom, until they were in a corner where nobody could hear them.

"Ay what gives?!" Lana snarled, already agitated and ready to throw hands. Even if that probably wasn't going to happen.

"Stay quiet." The girl said, as the other two followed behind to cover her. "Look, an emergency showed up in the pet area. And we need someone to cover some of us."

"What? What do you mean?" Lana asked, confused. She relaxed a little bit, but still kept her hands up.

"Just follow me. I'll tell you on the way there."

Still confused, she followed the other girl. She knew that it would probably result in her being late to class, but when the words "emergency" and "pet" are in the same sentence together, class was the last thing on her mind.

"Two of the girls that stay during classes to take care of the ́pets got sick." She explained. "Those twins plus one more girl are the only ones that take care of them. And we can't leave her alone with them. So you'll need to stay with them."

"T-there's twins?" Lana stuttered. "I mean yeah, I'll go stay with 'em. Just gimme a second."

She darted back to where Lisa and Sophie were standing. "_Listen, I gotta go. Something happened and I gotta stay with the pets or something." _She quickly explained before going back to the other girl that had whisked her away.

"_Wait_." Lisa held her back. "_What about the class?"_

"_I think I have my priorities set, Lis!" _Lana said.

"_Then I'll go with you!_" Lisa exclaimed quietly.

"_What? Why?"_

"_Look, there's no problem with more people helping, but you gotta be quick!_"

"She's right, four eyes." Sophie said, not really caring to be sneaky. "You better decide quick. I'm going to class, you do you." She said, turning around and getting away from the trio.

Lisa and Lana went off in the opposite direction, the former being led by the latter who was being led by the other girl. As subtly as they could, they took advantage of the cover a large moving crowd gave and went two floors up until they got to what was now quite a familiar room to them. For the past few weeks, they had been going up every night to see Charles and Cliff. It was one of the few things they looked forward to, other than breakfast and bedtime.

"Why do you want to come with me?" Lana asked Lisa. "I'd imagine you of all people would want to be in class."

"First of all, I find the Math class provides here extraordinarily easy. Second of all, I don't want to be interrogated as to where you were when you should've been in class."

"Okay, you have half of a good point there." Lana agreed. "Lying probably wouldn't work out very well…"

"It obviously won't." Lisa said.

"You don't have to worry. We know you had math now. We'll talk our way out of it." The random girl guiding them said, as she opened the door of the big room. I It wasn't as lively as it was at night, but the inhabitants, both human and otherwise, were quite social despite it being early in the morning. Even considering that there was only one human inside, which was petting a cat.

"Oh, thank God." She said. She had red straight hair, and wore a pair of glasses, but unlike Lisa's, which were big with gross lenses, hers was smaller and thinner. She had a huge smile on her face, which seemed to be someone around 12 years old. "You managed to bring help!"

The two Louds waved, and Lana greeted her with a quiet, withdrawn "hey." They walked inside and closed the door behind them.

"So, whoever else is supposed to be here got sick?" Lana asked.

"Yeah. We don't know exactly what they got sick with, but the twins are usually the ones that stay with me." She explained.

"Look, I'll love to stay, but I must go to history class. Don't forget to lock the door." The girl that took them there said, as she left the room and closed the door behind her again. Lisa went towards there to lock it completely.

"So, uh…" Lana said, a bit embarrassed.

"My name is Mary." She said. "Like, the Virgin?"

"Nice name." She complimented. "Nice to meet you. Name's Lana, and that's Lisa." She gestured to her sister behind her.

"I would be surprised if someone here wasn't a virgin." She said, turning around and noticing the girl looking at her with a shocked expression. "Too straightforward?"

"Kind of." Both Mary and Lana agreed.

"Apologies, force of habit." Lisa said. "So, what are we supposed to do in here?"

"Well, it shouldn't be too difficult, we just need a few helping hands around here. I enjoy it, but I can't do everything on my own." Mary said as she walked to a cupboard and pulled out a bag of dry cat food. She filled the designated bowl with it and put the bag back. "Just the regular stuff you'd expect for petsitting. Feeding them, giving them water, cleaning up, making sure they don't make too much noise, that kind of stuff."

"Alright, that doesn't seem to be too daunting of a task."

"It's really not. We just make sure the pets don't miss anything and don't make enough noise to call attention." Mary explained. "It's a bit sad they don't have a lot of open space, but it's better than most spaces around here."

"True. Though there's the sports center, and that's the closest thing to being out in the sun that I've gotten in weeks. Wish pets were allowed so they could be there." Lana said. "The logo they use for the softball team is kinda funny though."

"They would do great with some grass, open field, and the sun. We do have the windows here that allow some light to come in, but they can only sunbathe during the afternoon."

"Maybe one day they'll get all that. Maybe one day." Lana said wishfully, half about the pets and half about her and Lisa.

After she said that, two of the pets came running towards the two. Despite the conditions not being as they used to, Cliff and Charles seemed to be happy to see their owners, even with the lack of freedom or space.

"Oh, how are you doing guys?" Lana said, crouching to cuddle the two. "I've missed you two!"'

They eagerly greeted their owner with nuzzles and licks, and got petted in return. They missed seeing the two sisters as often as they used to, but they were certainly glad to see them whenever they did show up.

"Oh, these two are yours? I didn't know it"

"I think we never met before." Lisa said. "It makes sense you aren't aware as you had no chance of acquiring such information."

"You're quite a nerd, aren't you?"

"I take pride in claiming so."

"Interesting. Do you understand stuff in the veterinary field?"

"Well, both of us do." Lisa claimed. "My sister has the most experience while working with them, though I possess a lot of knowledge on the theoretical part of it."

"Yep, we've worked together on stuff like that in the past. Been a little while since the last time we did, though." Lana added in.

"Oh good. Perhaps you can help them." She said, looking around and snapping her fingers at one particular dog. It was a small one, with grey fur covering its eyes all over his body. It walked toward Mary, but with some difficulty, as he couldn't stand straight. She picked it up and placed it on her lap.

"This poor baby can't walk very well for as long as we remember. He's not old, but I think he had this since he arrived. You think you can take a look?"

They leaned in to get a closer look. Indeed, the creature appeared to have a limp of sorts. They looked towards each other with the same question in mind, which Lana asked out loud.

"Do you think we could help?"

"Perhaps." Lisa say. "There's clearly something wrong with its right front leg. We just need to figure out what."

"Well, he's limping, so…" Lana observed. She then turned to Mary. "You said he was like this since he arrived, right? How long ago was that?"

"Let me think… he's not that old, a couple months, at max?" She said, doubly.

"Hmm… he doesn't seem to show a lot of pain in his paw, so I find it unlikely that it would be broken, unless the injury was done a long time ago and he had gotten used to the pain."

"If that happened then there might be a problem with how the bones healed. Seems to me that it's mostly his leg though."

"Perhaps we can make some sort of support that lets it heal properly while still allowing it to walk around?"

Mary's eyes lit up in delight. "You can do that?" She gasped.

"With the proper materials, maybe." Lana offered. "So, what have you got?"

"Uh… what exactly do you need?" She asked.

"4 3.5 inches steel bars, 7 .5 cm screws, a Phillips screwdriver, a-"

"Woah woah woah." Mary interrupted. "I'm getting confused. I don't think we have that."

"Okay then, do you have some old wood pieces, something with screws, a nail polisher and a quarter?"

Mary went around the room searching for the items. They weren't all in one spot, but she did manage to eventually find the requested materials. She handed them off to the two of them. "Would this be enough?"

"Yes, it will." Lisa said, taking the materials to a table in a corner. "Give me a few minutes for me to work."

Around 15 to 20 minutes of sharpening, perforating and crafting, a makeshift leg brace had been fashioned out of the repurposed items. It wasn't the top quality that one would get from a hospital, but by the looks of it, it would suffice.

"Okay, now let's see if this works." Lisa said, as Mary approached with the dog and placed it on the table.

Lisa got the artificial leg and wrapped it around the deficit leg, sort of it as a support. After fixing it straight, and making sure it wouldn't fall out or it wasn't hurting the dog, she backed up a bit so it was allowed back to the ground.

When it was placed back, the dog managed to walk on four feet, not completely stable at first, but soon it managed to walk completely normally. The three students stood there, quite pleased with the handiwork displayed alongside the successful results.

"Well then, looks like you've still got your touch, Lis!" Lana proclaimed, and lightly elbowed her side.

"I'm still a bit rusty, but I agree."

"Rusty? C'mon, who can make a working… what was it called again? Prosthetic? Or is that something else? Something like that. But look at how quickly you managed to make a working whatever-it's-called out of random materials, and have it work on the first test run?"

"It's not 'random'. I needed a base, something to help shape it, the screws to get it all together, and something to tighten it up. It's not rocket science."

"Well okay, but you know what I mean, right? A bunch of everyday items repurposed into something like that, now that's pretty cool."

"Yes, I understand what you mean, sibling."

"You did it. You actually did it!" Mary exclaimed. "You are really good!"

"Thanks for the compliment. I used to work with machinery before coming here."

"That's great! We could really use a couple of hands like yours around here."

"Really?" Lana asked. "Like what?"

"Well… I'm not sure now, but every once in awhile we need some things repaired. And still, thanks for helping the puppy."

"What can I say except you're welcome?" Lisa asked.

"Nice." Lana appreciated the nice reference to a throwback to something from a time where things were much easier, fun and simple. She missed those times.

* * *

They only had to miss the first class and were relieved of their duties when the second class started. It was surprisingly easy to talk themselves out of trouble for cutting class. Right now, the trio were… well, the word "enjoying" would be an overstatement referring to their lunch. But they were less bored than in class, so that was a plus.

"So you two are becoming friends with the pet group, huh?" Sophie asked.

"Well, we've only met one of the members properly, so I wouldn't go as far as to say we're befriending the whole organization." Lisa explained.

"Can't you speak like a normal person for once, four eyes?"

"It has come to my understanding that you have been here for a very long time. One would think that you would at least understand a little bit of that sentence, but I suppose your English skills are below the average standard." Lisa casually replied.

"Holy hell, cease fire. Stay back, Lisa." Lana said, leaning away a little bit. She was a little bit intimidated, though she tried not to show it.

"Excuse me?" Lisa asked, a bit offended. "I've just expressed my opinion upon the development of her experience in the English language."

"I get that, but damn. You really gotta do her like that? Nothing against you but… damn."

"I don't know. She doesn't seem to be offended."

"Yeah, I really don't care." Sophie added.

"Alright then. But damn…"

They continued to eat, this time in silence. Other than Lisa who was still not quite willing to taste the mystery meat. For all she knew it could be poisonous. Unlikely since nobody died, at least to her knowledge, but there could be risks on organisms not used to such… if that could even be called food.

"I… think I must use the restroom." Lisa said, leaving the two other girls on their own.

Just then, two other girls came strolling by, a conceited smirk on their faces. Sophie noticed them coming towards them out of the corner of her eye and grumbled something, facing downwards.

"What's wrong?" Lana asked.

"Them." She pointed towards them with her thumb, who were now standing right behind them.

"Hey, Sophie, I see you got a new friend!" A blonde girl exclaimed, placing both hands on each of her shoulders. "Will this one run from you as well?"

"Look, I've been here for a few weeks and she's been pretty cool so far." Lana stated. "What's your problem?"

"Excuse me, sweetheart, her conversation is with Sophie, so you mind your own business." The girl paired with the blonde, a girl with brown hair wearing a collar with a crucifix said.

"Ey, practice what you preach will ya?"

"Ashley, let me handle this." The blonde said, going to Lana's side and sitting in the spot Lisa was before. She wrapped one hand behind her back and she offered her other hand for her to shake. "I don't think we've met before, my name is Jennifer. Sorry I couldn't introduce myself before, I was enjoying my holidays in the Bahamas with my family!"

Lana faced Sophie, who made a signal of her cutting her own neck, indicating her to not buy it. She then glanced back at Jennifer, and then her hand. "Is this a trick? I'm not falling for it." She asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. Plus, with Luan as a sister she had to be more wary lest she fall victim to a trick or prank.

"Oh. My. Lord!" Jennifer exclaimed. "I've never been so offended in my entire life!"

"_Of course you haven't."_ Sophie mumbled quietly, ironically.

"Well? Is it?" Although Lana was not very inclined to shake the hand of someone that seemed like trouble, she couldn't help but doubt herself and feel bad for not doing so. "_Stupid empathy…" _She thought to herself, still holding her hand back and trying not to go for it.

"Of course it is not, silly." Jennifer said, with a giggling smile. "You're funny. What's your name?"

"Uhh… Lana?" She said, a little confused. She turned to Sophie with the same confused look as if to say "_help me."_

"Well, _Lana,_ let me tell you a little secret. Sophie here, unfortunately, isn't a very good girl. She's always mad for some reason, and doesn't like a lot of people. She's a bit weird, yes, she is." Jennifer talked like she was a mother giving a lecture to a 6 year old, and making Sophie's face red. Lana couldn't tell if she was angry or embarrassed.

"Uhhh…" She wasn't quite sure how to respond that didn't involve telling her to fill her bull with some shit that made some sense.

"I can tell you, she isn't very friendly, unlike me and _my_ friends. And we always have our doors open for newcomers, so please think about this, and make the right decision." She said, tapping her chest and making her flinch. "Come on Ashley, the girls are probably waiting for us."

Lana stares at Sophie for a second, noticing she was just staring down on her plate before she said something. "Friendly people don't typically just come in asking if someone else's friend is gonna run off… just saying." She commented. "For real, what the fuck was that?"

Sophie stares at her with a confused expression, like she had any idea of what that was, or the answer was too obvious for the question to even be made.

"What is fuck?" She asked.

"Ah shit, sorry, I forgot. Religious school and all."

"What is shit? You still haven't told me."

Lana took a deep breath and sighed. "_I knew this would be a problem."_ She thought. "I'll tell you when we're in our room, okay? It's not something we should talk about out in the open. We don't want anymore trouble."

By then, Lisa came back from her bathroom break and took her seat at the cafeteria table back. "I apologize for using such time in the lavatory. What did I miss, if anything?"

"You did." Lana admitted. "Luckily you did."

"Yeah, just some nosy nobodies that think they're above us all without any ground to build that up on." Sophie added in.

"Excuse me, what?" Lisa asked, confused.

"This girl called Jennifer came here to bother both of us." Lana explained, pointing at the blonde girl that was walking away with a brown-haired girl. "I don't know what her problem is."

"You're talking personality, physically or mentally wise?"

"Any way, really." She turned to Sophie. "What's up with you and her, anyway?"

"We never had a good history together." Sophie said.

A few seconds of silence passed.

"...And?" Lisa pushes a bit forward.

"I don't have to tell you nothing, four eyes." I

"So like… when you two first got here, I don't know how far apart those two events were or if it was at the same time, but you two just immediately hated each other?" Lana asked. "I mean, that's probably not what happened, but…"

"_Sigh_, we didn't do very well the first time we met. I was young and jealous of her. She was rich with catholic parents, I don't even know why she's here-"

"Either her parents desire her to learn the teachings of God or they are incapable of raising her completely on their own."

"...as I was saying before being interrupted by four eyes..." She mocked a bit, making Lisa a bit angry of being ignored. "I was jealous. She had more stuff, she went out during the holidays… I… kind of took a toy from her when I was around… I don't know."

"So she doesn't like you because of a toy?" Lana asked, a bit surprised.

"It was her favorite, I think. I don't know, it doesn't really matter."

"How old were you two when that even happened?"

"I have no idea." She admitted. "I already told you that, stop bothering me with it!"

"Alright alright, I'm sorry. I was just wondering is all, since she seems to really have it out for you." Lana then went back to her meal, which still wasn't finished. She didn't mind the taste all that much, but mystery meat does get boring after some time.


	15. Parents, The Child, & The Holy Spirit

_**(A/N): Again, I'm sorry that uploading has gotten slower and we missed the usual Monday deadline last time. But, this isn't dead and we're still working on this project! Also, I'm aware that you guys may not be much of a fan of the boarding school arc, but my friend and I have a basic layout of the plot and it needs to go according to plan. This will probably be a long story, so strap in. I don't know how much longer it will last before the next arc, but please bare with me. It will be worth it, or at least I hope it will. And no need to worry about Karen, she'll get hers at some point. Karma still exists even in the realm of darkfics.**_

* * *

It was getting late at night and the special day was coming to an end. The trio still had an hour left before it would be lights out, and they found themselves in the boarding school's library with little other options.

"Why didn't anybody tell us about this library?" Lisa asked. "It's my biggest interest to have access to such files so I may study."

"Where else would I get books to read?" Sophie asked. "And that study group with the nerds."

"Well, I mean, nobody has mentioned such a place. There's the possibility you borrowed them from the teachers, or they were provided in a moment me and my sister weren't present."

"Well that's not what happened." Sophie pushed open the heavy wooden library doors with a grunt. They creaked as they were opened slowly, and slammed shut loudly once she let it go. She flipped a switch that turned the lamps on. They weren't very bright, but it was bright enough for them to at least not have to squint to see.

"And there's no such thing as a librarian here?"

"It's called being asleep."

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty." Lana snarked, interrupting them. "Lisa, I like reading too but… what could they possibly have here that would be interesting?"

"What is there in a book that isn't interesting?" She replied.

"Maybe 95% of the stuff that's actually in it?" Lana said. "Come on Lis, you know not all books are interesting."

"Not all of them, but you know what they say. Don't judge a book by its cover." Lisa sifted through the books in one of she shelves, eventually picking out a rather large and heavy hardcover one. "Aha! Stories and Tales of Early Saints! This should be quite an interesting read." She struggled to hold the large book, but her years of carrying similar ones beforehand, although about science instead, have been of some help. Still, it was a bit far from the table.

"Uhh, you need any help with that, Lis?" Lana called over her shoulder, still trying to find something that seemed even remotely interesting.

"P-Perhaps…" she struggled to say in between her teeth. "Oh my, t-this is heavier than I t-thought. I-is is c-carved in stone?"

"We're old, four-eyes, not cavemen." Sophie rolled her eyes, not moving a muscle to help Lisa, unlike her sister.

With a huff, Lana swooped it out of Lisa's hands and practically skipped to the table like it was nothing, setting it down with a thud. "Whew, there ya go."

"I forgot about your superior muscle mass. Thank you, sibling." Lisa said, sitting down, in front of it. "Would you wish to join me?"

"No prob. And, hmm…" Lana stroked her chin in thought. "I mean, it's pretty late so it's not like I have anything better to do. Sure." She took her seat in the middle next to Lisa and Sophie, who had a different and much smaller book in hand.

Though Lana tried her best to stay for support, she knew that she wouldn't be able to keep her eyelids open much longer. She rested her head on a propped hand, trying her best not to nod off right there in the library. Though it was all warm and stuffy, which while others would find uncomfortable, to her it was her ideal atmosphere. The same kind that a reptile would like.

"Uhh, guys, I'm getting tired. You can stay here, but I'm heading to bed. G'night!" She bid them farewell and headed out the door, slipping out with ease but getting hit in the back by the heavy door. "_Oof!" _She yelped with the wind knocked out of her for a moment.

After heading back in the room, she got changed into the set of pajamas that she had arrived in and had been using since the adventure first began. She squinted into the darkness and tried her best to make sense out of what and where everything was. Though she could see in the dark hallways, the dorm was much darker, nearly pitch black. She took a deep breath, widened her eyes to see better, and moved around slowly, step by step. She bumped into a few things, but was more annoyed than hurt. Knowing where the light switch was would surely help, but alas.

Suddenly, a squeaky noise rang through the room. Lana jumped up in startlement and froze in her spot for a moment. She held the object in her hand, which dropped to the floor. After stepping on it lightly and hearing the noise again to find it, she crouched down and picked it up, studying it.

She squeezed it a few more times while running her fingers over it. It felt like rubber and had an odd but recognizable shape. "_Huh… what's a rubber ducky doing here?"_ She thought. "_Maybe the pets in the club will like it. I'll bring it to them tomorrow." _

She moved away from the spot and looked for her bed. She knocked into something, hitting both her head and her legs. "_Oof!" _She said it again, and with that, climbed into the bottom bunk with the rubber ducky in her hands. She didn't want to lose sight of it, so she kept it by her side under the covers, snuggling it. She missed sleeping with something by her side, even if it was too small to hug.

* * *

Meanwhile, both of the girls remained in the library, even if they didn't know when bedtime would be, as they could simply sneak back into their rooms. Lisa was reading the tales of early saints, but for some reason she wasn't feeling as excited for knowledge. She faced her only companion, who seemed to not care one bit about the book in her hands.

"You also seem to show no interest in your reading material." Lisa claimed.

"Yeah, reading the same thing over and over again for most of your life gets boring." Sophie sighed. "You seem bored too. Is the book not nerdy enough for you?"

"My main interest is science, not history, and especially not mythology." She explained. "_Sigh_, I miss my laboratory."

"You had a laboratory? Aren't you like... ten or something?" Sophie asked surprised, putting her book down.

"I know you probably don't know a lot about me, after all, all you do habituate this… nineteenth century styled institution that has no connection with the civilized world, but I'm quite a known scientist despite my age."

"So known that nobody cared or noticed that you ended up in this hole." Sophie replied sarcastically.

"What's your problem with me that you simply feel the necessity to act arrogantly towards me as a person?"

"First of all, don't talk like that. You're not exactly humble either. Second, it is not personal. I just despise nerds who think they're better than everyone. Or just people who think they're better than anyone, whatever." Sophie put her book facedown and crossed her arms. "In here, we're all equal. Even though some people think they're more equal than others. Like _some _people here." She grumbled.

"Quoting Animal Farm?" Lisa asked, surprised. "Huh, wouldn't expect someone here to be cultured as such. Wouldn't even imagine they possess such a text here."

"See? There you go again with the arrogance and pretending to be humble when you're really not. But yeah, I read it a few years ago, still stuck with me to this day."

"George Orwell. Great writer." Lisa said. "So I guess we at least have something in common."

"Don't get too hyped, four-eyes." Sophie said, yawning. "Ugh, what time is it?"

"If I had a clock or could just see the moon, I'd answer you."

"See the moon to to tell the time?" Sophie asked quizzically and tilted her head.

"Yes. Just like with the Sun, though more complicated… assuming we could see the sun. It would at least give us an approximation."

"How would you do that?"

"You never heard of-" Lisa interrupted herself. "Nevermind. I shouldn't judge those who don't know and-"

"No no, go on. You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention."

"So, you know how the Earth rotates around the Sun?"

"Yeah, what about that?"

"Well, because of that movement, and the fact that our planet rotates around itself, the position of the Sun, in any place we see it from Earth, changes during the day, beginning on one horizon, crossing the sky, and disappearing in the other, correct?"

"Uhh… what?" Sophie trailed off, now lost.

"Let me think…" Lisa said, rubbing her chin. She then closed both her fists. "Okay, imagine my right hand is the Sun, and my left one is Earth, are you okay with that?"

Sophie held up both her hands, turning her head back and forth to each one. "Yeah."

Lisa then held Sophie's left hand and began moving it around the other. "The Earth is moving around the Sun, and spinning at the same time. That is what makes us determine what a year and a day, respectively. One day is approximately the time the earth takes to spin around itself, and one year is the time to spin around the sun. Got it?"

Sophie started spinning her left hand and moved it around her right one. "Alright, so how does that help us tell what time it is?"

"The Sun always shows up in the horizon towards East. At noon, it's on top of us, and during sunset, it disappears from our vision towards West. That tells us when it's six in the morning or six in the evening. It takes six hours for the sun to go from the horizon to high in the sky. You just see it's position in the sky, and estimate how much it took to get there, as it has constant speed."

"Alright, so basically… it depends on how high in the sky it is?"

"Partially, Yes." Lisa explained. "Obviously, you must know if it's morning or afternoon to precise what time it is exactly. Plus, this doesn't give you time with precision of seconds."

"Interesting. So what about the moon?"

"The moon orbits around the Earth. And while possible, the many things to be considered about it don't make it reliable enough to be worth teaching you."

"Oh. I bet it's really late though, so I'm heading off to bed with Lana. Nice chat, four-eyes." Sophie opened the door and made her way out of the library.

"Okay, I'll remain here, perhaps find some better-" Lisa than yawned. "Actually, it is wise to head to bed. Despite not having classes tomorrow, I shouldn't sleep less than six hours a day, even if the ideal is nine."

* * *

"Where is it, where is it, _where is it?!"_

Lisa and Lana woke up to the sound of Sophie frantically shouting. She was tearing the dorm apart, apparently looking for something. There was a lot of stuff spilled over and misplaced, and continued to be messed up as she rummaged through everything.

"_Where is what?"_ Lana asked tiredly. "We're trying to sleep…"

"Ugh, what is happenni- _oof!_" Lisa said, as Sophie passed close to her bed, and her blanket got stuck was dragged to the floor alongside her. "Hey, can you calm down to avoid injuring others and yourself? _Especially others?_"

"Not until I find it!" Sophie hissed and continued her search.

"Find what?" Lana asked, now sitting upright and rubbing her eyes. "What are you doing up so early on a weekend anyway?"

"We literally have no reason to do so when we are basically free until we must go to church to pray." Lisa added, getting out of the floor. "We should enjoy our rest time."

"Yeah, what she said. It's one of the few things I like here."

"Shut up, you two!" She exclaimed. "I have to find it, I have to!" She said, shaking a bit and placing. Both her hands locked together while she was freaking out.

"Woah woah woah! Sophie, please, calm down. What are you even looking for? If you tell us, maybe we could help you find it." Lana offered, reluctantly climbing out of the warm covers. In doing so, she uncovered the rubber duck that she took with her to bed earlier.

"Wait… what are you doing with Mr. Quackity?!" She exclaimed, dashing towards Lana's bottom bunk bed and quickly grabbing it. "This is what I was looking for!"

"...why would you be interested in a plastic and rubber bath toy? Most kids stop using it at an average of eight to ten years of age." Lisa asked.

"I-it's n-not of your business!"

"Oh please, you used to sleep with a stuffed animal back at home, Lisa." Lana interjected. "_Yeah, home…" _She sighed sadly. "But… this is yours, Sophie? I was gonna take it to the pet club later today."

"What?! No! The animals would destroy him!"

"Sophie, you have to calm down." Lisa said.

"Yeah, if this is yours and you don't want me to bring it there, I won't. But can you just tell us why you care about it so much?"

"I-I… I-I don't have to tell you nothi-"

"Sophie, I think it's clear to the three of us in this room that you have something stuck in your throat." Lisa interrupted. "A lot, actually. That does you no good. You don't have to open up entirely, but you'd be relieved taking your emotions out. Trust me, I've studied enough psychology to know that."

"Yeah, and we won't make fun of you." Lana promised and gave her a smile. "C'mon, bottling everything up isn't good for you." She wanted to practice what she preached herself, but at least she could help others even as a hypocrite, right?

"I… I don't know… I don't know if I can trust you both."

"You can, don't worry. Just lay it on us."

"N-no… I can't-"

"Will it help if I exit the room?" Lisa interrupted.

"What?!" Both of the other girls exclaimed.

"I know our relationships are… distant from what you could call a friendship. If I just left the room and you two to your own privacy, would that make you more comfortable?"

"I mean…" Sophie hesitated to continue, and weighed her options. "I guess talking one-on-one is easier, but… I don't know…"

Lana put a hand on her shoulder. "It's for the better. I know admitting stuff can be embarrassing, but it'll do ya good, alright?" She reassured.

"I-I… I-I g-guess I can try…" Sophie agreed.

"Well then, I shall comply with my side of the deal." Lisa said. "I'll be returning in an hour or so, as I assume you'll be done by that time." She approached Lana and whispered in her ear. "_She needs your help more than mine. Good luck_." And with that, she left the room, and closed the door behind her.

"So…" Lana began, sitting down on her bed. "What's going on?"

"I… I-I don't know where to start…" Sophie confessed, as she sat down besides Lana, holding and facing her rubber ducky.

"Seems there's a lot on your mind. So… what about the duck?"

"_Sigh…_ okay… remember when that blond girl, Jennifer, came to bother us during lunch? This duck… Mr. Quackity was hers at first. When we met, I think I was… I don't know, but I was very little, I remember she had many toys, but she wouldn't let anyone play with them, so I took this one for myself. It's the only toy I've ever had, the only thing other than the things they give for school."

"Oh… so, is that why you two don't like each other?"

"Nobody liked me. You can look at almost everyone around here. Nobody talks to me, I never managed to be friends with anyone. Mr. Quackity… h-he's all I have. I-I played with him in my room, a-alone… b-but he was always there to c-cheer me up. I-it's the same room we're in now. I-I lived here f-for a-as long as I-I remember."

Lana wasn't really sure what to say. She was never the best at consoling someone while they vented. That was more so Lucy's thing. She even used to go to her every now and then in the past. So, while thinking of something to say, she reached out and gave Sophie a hug. That made the girl tense up a bit, feeling a bit nervous.

"I-I'm sorry about all that. And I'm s-sorry about taking Mr. Quackity. If I knew, I would've left it… him alone." She apologized and let go of the hug. "And hey, _I _like you-" Her breath hitched in her throat when she realized what she just said. "I-I mean… like… as a f-friend, y-ya know? Uhh…" Her cheeks turned a deep red while her heartbeat and breathing rate quickened. She nervously chuckled and scratched the back of her head.

"I-I n-never had no one… I-I can't remember t-the last time someone… s-someone, _sniff_, h-hugged me…" Sophie confessed, sobbing, and sinking her face in Lana's shoulder.

Lana was caught by surprise as Sophie wrapped her arms on her, but she just left her there. She hugged her again, this time more lightly but still close to before. "There there… let it all out…"

"_M-my mom and dad… gah… t-they… t-they just abandoned me here!" _She exclaimed, her voice reaching a higher pitch, and her crying became stronger. "_I-I d-don't even know if Sophie is my name! T-they j-just have to give me one h-here!"_

Lana sucked a sharp breath through her teeth. "Dang… I know Lisa and I were just left here a few weeks ago but… wow. But… screw them then, it's their loss. And I think Sophie is a nice name."

Sophie cried for a few more minutes uncontrollably, as Lana just tried to calm her down, holding her tight, and patting her back. After a while, the teen managed to calm down., "_Sniff… _I-I've never been able t-to… f-feel the sun on my skin… _sniff..._ it's suffocating in here… I-I was never happy here… I-I want to get out… b-but I can't!"

"I'm still hoping that Lisa will eventually remember the name of the hospital my family's at… then maybe all three of us can get out of this place."

"Y-you'd take me out?" Sophie asked, backing up from the hug. "F-four-eyes and you would do that for me?"

"Yeah, at this point I don't think we'd be able to leave you behind. And there's no way she and I can stay here. We gotta get back to our family, and… a-and I think you deserve to see the world. It's pretty screwed up but it's beautiful too…"

"B-but… how would you convince Lucinda a-and-"

"Relax, Sophie. Trust me. My family… they're very good at getting what we want. Lisa and I have a big family, and in a pack, you gotta learn a few things. Like puppy eyes."

"I-I don't think that will be enough, Lana… b-but thank you… really… I just have to get out of here."

"I know you want to go outside, but relax, soon our family will come for us, and you can stay with us for as long as you need."

Sophie faced Lana, and opened a small smile towards her. "There's a lot of things you and your sister don't understand… and I'm happy to see you don't. Certain things are better if never understood."

Seeing Sophie smile like that made Lana smile as well. "You know… you're cute when you smile. I-I mean-"

"Thanks… you're cute as well." Sophie replied. "And… thanks for listening to me… I guess it made me feel a bit better…"

Lana gasped upon hearing that. "Y-you… you think I'm… c-cute?" She stuttered. "I-I'm glad you feel better though. If you ever need to talk, I'm here."

"Just… don't tell anybody about this. Things will only get worse if people find out."

"Cross my heart and hope to die, nobody else will know." Lana made the "cross-my-heart" gesture.

"Ugh… now I feel tired." Sophie claimed, as she stood up. "If you don't mind, I'm going back to bed, so… ya know…"

"Me too. I'm going back to sleep too, but first…" Lana stood up and walked towards the door. She opened it and knocked on the wall to get Lisa's attention, who was standing outside. "We're done. You can come back inside now."

"So, how did it go?" Lisa asked. "Can we at least get some more rest?"

"Yeah, we can. Things went well." Lana said. "Just can't tell ya much about it. I promised, okay?"

"No worries, sibling." Lisa said, as she walked passed her and towards inside the room. "The walls are thin enough anyways." she whispered in Lana's ears.

"Huh?"

"Should've thought of that considering our original household." Lisa said, as she sat down on her bed. "Just rest a bit. You did a decent job here."

"Thanks. But uh… y-you didn't hear everything, did you?"

"Yes I did. Don't worry, my mouth's shut. Both for her and you." She said, removing her glasses. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must go to rest."


	16. Love One Like You Love Yourself

"So, Lisa."

"Yes, sibling?"

"How long did you say it would take for our family to find us?" Lana complained. "'Cause it's been almost a month since you said that and we're still in here."

Lana and Lisa were both in their room. Sophie wasn't there as the two talked, the former laid down on her bunk bed, the latter laying towards a wall, reading a book she borrowed from the library, about botany. It's been four to five weeks of the same routine, food, environment and life that they hoped would change soon.

"I can't precisely say, Lana. But I understand your dissatisfaction. My patience is slowly beginning to wear off just like yours."

"Well, maybe it's about time we do something ourselves soon. Remember when you…" Lana started and growled quietly at the memory in embarrassment. "Remember when you mentioned the computer from the teacher's lounge?"

"It was a hypothesis I don't even posses confirmation about. But considering it is correct what about it?"

"Okay, well if it _is _there, maybe we could sneak in there and do some research so we can find that hospital, and we'll finally be able to leave." Lana suggested.

"It's an effort of too much risk to take it, especially since we don't even have a guarantee it can be successful. I know it's frustrating, but our best option is to just wait."

The long-since out of commission plumber sighed and laid on her bed. "All we've been doing is waiting. Waiting, and waiting, and rotting in here with nothing to do. Other than the pet club and stuff, but that isn't progress towards getting back to the family."

"You're… you're technically now wrong, but also not extremely correct. If you think about it, while our side isn't making progress, our family must be getting closer to find us."

"The thing is, we don't know if they are. Karen must have dropped us off all the way here for a reason, after all."

"Karen? Didn't you mention a Karen some time ago?" Sophie asked curiously, as she just walked into the room.

"Were you listening to us from outside the room?" Lisa asked.

"I have better stuff to do, four-eyes. Plus, I just arrived here. Had to do some stupid project to increase my grade." Sophie explained.

"Doesn't seem like 'better stuff', judging by your tone of voice." Lisa replied.

"Listen here you-"

"Okay okay, no need to fight!" Lana said, before the two of them jumped at each other's throats. "I know it's boring here, but we don't need any of that on top of everything else."

"Okay, okay, whatever." Sophie said. "But what is that Karen thing you were talking about?"

"Remember when we said we were just dropped off at the front of this place all that time ago?" Lana asked. "She was probably the one that just left us there. I dunno when, but probably in the middle of the night. Lisa and I weren't awake when it happened."

"Exactly. We suspect she was the one to bring us here. Unfortunately for us, even though it was a bit satisfactory not having to see her again." Lisa added.

"True, she was just the worst. She's like the visual representation of orange juice and toothpaste mixed together, with a dash of way too much salt. Just no." Lana agreed. "Everyone else in that family that we were just brought into after ours was hospitalized was fine though. Even Edward, even if he was a bit of a jerk. I'd pick him over Karen any day."

"Seems like you have your fair share of tragedy." Sophie commented.

"You could say that." Lisa agreed. "Though things have happened so fast it's difficult to reflect what really happened."

"It was just one thing after the other. One moment your house catches on fire on Christmas Eve while you and your little sister were out snowboarding, the next some crazy lady… I dunno what she did but I took one bite outta some takeout and I was out cold, and ended up here."

"Huh… I wouldn't have imagined…" Sophie said, a bit pitiful. "I guess I never really bothered to ask in detail why you were here."

"Don't mind it, really." Lana brushed it off. "It's better if we can stay here without that in our heads all the time. And at least we have you around for company."

"Like I was some very good company." Sophie said sarcastically. "We all know I'm not exactly friendly."

"Oh c'mon, when you open up you're really… what's the word?" Lana trailed off and blushed a bit. She had the impression she heard someone facepalming.

"I believe the word you seek is a synonym for… _ahem_… affectionate." Lisa said after a few seconds.

The blush deepened and she snapped out of her trance. "Y-yeah, yes, that! Affectionate… _cute…_" She whispered the last word.

"_Sigh_… okay, changing subjects, what were you even doing out there?"

"I-I can't have some privacy?!" Sophie exclaimed, nervously.

"Well, we are vigilated almost constantly in this institution, so a concept such as privacy is a bit hard to come across."

"Yeah, is something going on?" Lana asked suspiciously.

"Just… just let me be!" She exclaimed, as she walked towards the door. "I'm going for a walk." She declared, as she made her way out of the room.

"Okay… what was that?" Lana asked, concerned and confused.

"You mean your face looking like a tomato or the fact that she had an outburst and left us here?"

Lana placed a hand onto her cheek and felt it burning, which only made her blush even more. "The… t-the second one, of course! W-why do you need to ask?" She took on a defensive tone and posture, her shoulders and back arching up slightly.

"I don't know. Force of habit, perhaps personal curiosity of mine." Lisa explained, as she went back to the book she was reading before. "Now, if you're really wanting to know why she went away, you should try checking the doorknob."

"The doorknob? Why?"

"Just look at it. See if it's shining, or if it is a bit sticky." Lisa encouraged.

She got up and touched the doorknob, and indeed it was slightly sticky. It was shiny too, but she just assumed it to be normal. "It is, but… so what? Where are you going with this?" She asked, rubbing her thumb and pointer finger together which were now also a little bit sticky, though mostly slippery.

"Lana, obviously I can't take any conclusions, but most evidence indicates that the substance you possess in hand is Sophie's vaginal fluid." She explained.

"You're like ten, don't say it like that." Lana cringed a little bit, then brought the finger up to her face and gave them a sniff. "Smells like it too, but… okay, first of all, who doesn't wash their hands after that? Even I do- _I mean, I would if I did, okay?"_

Lisa sighed, as she placed her book down. "Lana, there's something you need to understand. Sophie, unlike us, grew up in this place, which basically unstimulated every sort of behavior considered a sin, which includes… _masturbation_."

Lana opened her mouth to object, then closed it. She wiped her fingers on her uniform and laid down on her bed again. She sighed and covered her face with a pillow to hide the fact that her face was getting redder still now that the thought of her having some alone time was in her mind. It made her heartbeat grow steadily faster. "S-so why… why is she getting all mad at us about it? I mean… she was able to talk about the rubber duck and we… I kept it a secret." Her voice was muffled somewhat by the pillow.

"Lana, think about it. Despite being surrounded by girls, Sophie most likely never had a feminine figure to help her and explain to her the changes in her body, and you can obviously see she's a teenager of at least 15 years of age. She might not know the basics of what growing up must be like. While this is all supposition, she might not even believe menstruation and masturbation, while the former quite annoying according to most women, is normal for her. That's why she was disturbed. She doesn't want anyone to find out because she believes it's awkward or wrong. And despite not knowing this, I wouldn't doubt some older students here have the same struggle."

"Oh…" Lana slowly moved the pillow off of her face. "Well yeah, periods suck and frankly they can just go to Hell. Even though they're supposed to happen. But I see what you mean now. Do you think we should, uhh… talk to her?"

"I would rather wait for her to return to attempt that, _but_ I won't stop you from going after her, if you believe it's the best." Lisa explained. "Just be careful. You know how strict the rules are around here."

"True that. And maybe, but you know me. They call me the 'Queen of Risks' for a reason." And with that, she headed out and searched for her other roommate.

She searched all around, her first guess being the bathroom but surprisingly turned out to be a false lead. Eventually, she got to the library and peeked through the window. And there Sophie was, with a book in front of her but not really reading. She looked pretty zoned out, in fact. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The only girl in there seemed to get a bit desperate after she came back from reality. After a few seconds Lana saw of her regaining her composure Sophie went towards the door and unlocked it.

"What the- what are you doing here?" Sophie asked, a bit nervous. "If it was four eyes, I'd understand, but you?"

"Can I come in? I wanna talk."

"W-whatever. Just be quick. I'm busy." Sophie declared.

Sophie allowed Lana to walk in, as she closed the door behind her. Both of them walked towards one of the empty tables of the empty library, and sit down side by side, remaining for a few seconds in silence.

"What do you want?" Sophie asked, a bit annoyed.

"Whoa whoa, calm down first of all." She held her hands out and pushed downwards a bit for a "slow down" gesture. "I think I might know why you were acting weird before, and I want to let you know that… there's nothing wrong with what you're doing, okay?" She started, and took a seat on one of the cushioned chairs next to where Sophie's book was.

"What?! What do you even mean?!" Sophie seemed to be getting more nervous and annoyed.

"Well… the doorknob was kinda wet, so you didn't even wash your hands. I mean, even I would do that and I'm not even close to being the cleanest person around."

"H-hey… I-I don't know what you're talking about." Sophie said, facing the opposite side of where Lana was.

"Sophie, I know it's kinda difficult to talk about stuff like that… especially considering that you've lived in this place your whole life apparently, and I don't know whether they're telling you it's a sin or if they're just not talking about it at all… but it's okay. It's normal, and you don't have to feel bad for it." Lana tried her best to assure her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You know nothing… you're just a kid."

"We're probably not too far apart, y'know. And I do that too so I think I'd know at least a little bit." She fired back. "I know that at any other time me saying that would probably be too much information, but right now it's relevant. And again, it's normal for a teen like you."

"Could you be a bit more specific on what you're trying to talk about? You're just acting weird right now."

Lana pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. "I think that the reason you were outside while Lisa and I were talking was because you came back after… after…" She sighed and felt her cheeks heat up a bit. Having to keep herself in check to make sure she didn't spout out certain colorful words, some of which were formal variations but she was sure saying them would still not fly well with the teachers, had taken a bit of a toll on her. "After… it's called 'masturbation', okay? And you seemed really embarrassed about it and that's why you were acting weird before."

"What… what's that '_massurbasion?'"_ Sophie asked.

"The thing you were probably doing before, like in the bathroom or something, not like the usual stuff, but like…" She made a circle with one of her hands and thrust two fingers on her left hand through it a few times. She felt embarrassed talking about it, especially since she herself had received a similar talk many months ago back at the house before the fire. And it was awkward then too, but at least her mother knew how to word it right. She, on the other hand, feld weird just doing the gesture.

"I… I think what you're trying to show, but… I-I don't do that. That's weird."

"I had this kind of talk too, but I'm also not the best at explaining. Especially when it comes to stuff like this. And I lied about it too at first, but it's better if you just tell the truth. I promise I won't tell anyone. It can be like that rubber ducky thing."

"But… but this is different, Lana. I shouldn't be… doing this."

"Says who? The teachers? Sister Lucerna? Those jerks from the cafeteria?"

"I-I just know it is. Like, I never saw anyone else doing it, and they never talk about it. Like it shouldn't happen."

"Listen, I know this place is kinda weird like that, but just because they don't talk about it doesn't mean it's bad. And I'm pretty sure there's a lot of other people here that do it, even if they'll lie and say they don't. Even the teachers, probably. But you don't see it because well… it's more of a private matter, no pun intended."

"R-r-really? Even them?" Sophie asked,a bit curious, facing Lana back. "S-so like… this thing I do…that happens to me... it's normal?"

Lana nodded with a soft smile while still hiding her embarrassment. "Mhm! So don't feel bad for it, alright? You don't have to announce it to everybody, but don't be ashamed that you do it. Word of advice though, wash your hands after."

That last statement made Sophie's face go red. "Oh my… I-I guess I forgot… I-I just need to r-relieve myself sometimes… and… and you know…"

"I understand. Sometimes we just… slip up. Again, no pun intended."

Sophie giggles a bit. "So, all of this… do you know why it happens?"

Hearing Sophie giggle like that made Lana chuckle a bit as well. When she first met her, she wasn't like this at all, and she couldn't help but be a bit proud of her for opening up. "Well… as far as I know, it's hormones and stuff because of something called 'puberty.' That's what my parents, and Lisa, and my sixth grade Health teacher said anyway. Lisa would probably be able to explain all the scientific stuff behind it better, but basically it's just a part of growing up."

"I… I guess that makes sense… thanks Lana…" Sophie thanked, placing an arm on her shoulder. "You know… you and four eyes just make this place a bit more bearable… but don't tell her that."

"Really? Awww!" The soft smile she held widened, but she also became a little more bashful. "And don't worry, my lips are sealed. As always." She did the "zipper-mouth" gesture.

"Thanks... really." Sophie sighed. "I just wish I could be more cheerful like you two. You still has some sort of positivity with you."

"I mean… I try, but gonna be a little honest, that's been diminishing a bit. I miss my family."

"Oh, yeah… you talk about them a lot." Sophie faced the younger girl. "Is there… anything I can do for you? You know, I'm the only depressed one, we might want to keep it that way."

"Well, I dunno, but I'd like to ask the same thing to you. I know this place sucks ass-" Lana covered her mouth, having forgotten the "no swearing" rule for a second. "I mean, this place sucks _butt, _but there's still a chance of getting out. Maybe there'll be a computer in the teacher's lounge after all, and we can find what we need to know. If I can get Lisa to come with me to check, that is."

"Hmm… I _might_ know a way to get you in… it's a bit hard, but definitely doable."

"Y-you'd do that for me? Wow, I…" Lana smiled. "Thank you. So how would that work?"

"Let's just say… I know my way around here." Sophie explained. "And that means I know some… special people around here."

"Sweet! So… is there a computer in there, by any chance? Or some records that could show us where this place even is?"

"I'm not sure, but I guess if we can get four eyes in there you can find out." She explained.

"Hmm… worth a shot, I'd say. And again… thank you, a lot." She rubbed her arm a bit and shifted her eyes away. "It's really nice having someone to talk to other than just Lisa, y'know?"

"Thanks. We both know that I don't like her much, but four eyes is your sister and all, so I guess you mean it a lot." Sophie said with a smile. "You aren't bad. Not at all."

"And neither are you. Screw what anyone else says about that, they just didn't get to know you well enough."

"Yeah… I'm not really sure of that." She sighed. "I'm not exactly the best friend at all… not very interesting or pretty… I'm not really a person most people like to be around."

"That's not true, though. You're interesting _and _pretty, in my opinion. And if I didn't like being around you I wouldn't be talking with you in here, now would I?"

"You… think I'm pretty?" Sophie said blushing a bit. "Nobody ever told me that."

"Yeah. Yeah I do, actually."

"T-thanks… y-you look nice too."

"I… I do?" Lana's chest fluttered at that comment. Though it wasn't something she really thought about much, it had been a long time since someone last said that to her. And to hear it come from Sophie made it extra special to her.

"Yeah. You look cute for a teenager." She affirmed.

"Awww! Also, I'm sorry if this is too personal for you but, have you ever, like… had a _crush _on anyone before? Or thought about stuff like that?"

"Uh… what is a crush?" Sophie asked. (I don't know about you, but in a place where no boys exist and homosexuality is condemable, a word such as crush is prob hardly ever used)(yea I know, hence where I'm leading with this)

"It's kinda difficult to explain, but it's like, when you see a certain someone, whoever they might be, and you have this… infatuation with them, you really like them as more than just a friend. It's not like the love you have for a parent or a pet or a sibling (in a few years it will be), but it makes you feel a ton of different things. You get this feeling in your chest whenever you see or even think about them… have you ever heard of the idiom 'butterflies in your chest'"?

"I… I haven't actually, but I think I get what you're trying to say… and no, never really felt that. There's not a lot of men I know… actually I don't remember the last time I met one…"

"Not all girls are only into men. Some… like girls. Some like both too. Some like neither and just aren't into all that lovey-dovey stuff. And the same can be said about guys too. It's a huge spectrum of what kind of people that people like, really. I don't think this place ever said anything like that, but well, it's true."

"They don't say a lot of stuff inside here, ya know… but still… do you have a crush?" Sophie asked.

"Uhhh… well…" Lana trailed off, sweating and chuckling nervously while blushing. She rubbed the back of her neck and her heart started pounding loud enough for the both of them to hear it.

"So… do you have one or not?"

"I… do…"

"I assume it's not from here. Or is it?"

Lana sighed and slumped in her seat, resting her head in her arms on the library table. "Actually, it is."

"Really? I don't see you talking to a lot of people here."

"I'm talkin' to you though."

"Yeah, but I mean… wait… that means you love me?"

"Yyyyeahhh… yep. I've caught the love bug for you. I don't even know how it happened, it just… did." She admitted and his her face in her arms.

"I guess you always seemed to be a bit more friendly to me, but… but I never imagined that…"

"This place would probably not be too happy to hear that, and I was kinda having issues with… you know, even before I came here, but yeah I guess you helped me come to terms with that somehow. I don't even know."

"If you don't know, how will I know?"

Lana lifted her head up a little bit, still sweating nervously. "I don't know. Is there a way to find out?"

"Trying, I guess?"

"T-trying? Trying what?"

"I don't know. What people that have a crush on others do?"

"Uhh… hug, and kiss and stuff…"

"So… are we supposed to do that?"

"I don't think it's so much as _supposed _to, but if you want to, well… I wouldn't object."

"So...uh… let's try?"

"I- okay then, let's try."

They stood up from their seats and moved away from the table, closer to the middle of the library and faced each other. Sophie seemed pretty chill about the whole thing, abeliet confused as well. Meanwhile, Lana was a nervous wreck and her breathing was ragged and heavy. Her eyes kept darting from Sophie's face to the ground.

Lana made the first move, as she held Sophie and pulled her together, trying to imitate some scenes she had already seen in movies, but not really sure exactly how to do. Their height difference made Sophie bend a bit forward, as she held Lana's back and they both pulled each other closer, until their bodies were touching.

Lana gulped a bit nervously, as she wasn't sure if this would go as expected. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and started moving her head forward and upwards a bit. Sophie saw this, and also closed her eyes, bending even further down. After a couple seconds of slow moving towards each other, their lips touched each other.


	17. The Angel Or The Priest

Lisa was in her bedroom, alone, finishing the book that she had borrowed from the library. While it was a bit too quiet considering the lack of her two roommates, she did find it a bit peaceful that she could just concentrate on studying and reading, as lately she couldn't exercise her mind as much as she wanted to.

Soon though, and to bother her a bit, she heard a knock on the door. Sighing, she put the book away and headed towards said door and opened it, revealing a familiar face on the other side, even if she wasn't always present in their new daily lives.

"Oh…" Lisa said, monotonously. "Sister Lucerna, how are you doing? May I aid with you with anything?"

"Oh, I'm just doing the usual dorm inspection, and you're the last one on the list so I'm almost done." The principal replied as she made her way inside. "I don't think you or your roommates are up to anything suspicious, but it never hurts to make sure. Actually, even Sophie's behavior seemed to have improved since your arrival. Thank God she's improving as a person."

"It surely is a blessing." Lisa said, sarcastically, without Sister Lucerna noticing. "And I understand. Please feel free to analyze the area. It's not like I should or can stop you." Lisa stepping to the side.

"I see you've borrowed a book from the library." Lucerna commented as she passed by Lisa's bed. "It's always good to see our sisters studying beyond their classes."

"I try my best to balance my devotion to our Savior and my study of general knowle-"

"Sister Lucerna, Sister Lucerna!" They heard a voice coming from the hallway, that interrupted Lisa's line of thought, as both herself and Lucerna left the room to check out, they saw Ashley, one of the girls that bothered Lana and Sophie some time prior, cried as they ran down the hallway all the way to Lisa's wide-open dorm.

"Huh?" Lucerna and Lisa asked and turned their heads towards them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lucerna asked.

"I saw something _reaaaal _shady down at the library!" Ashley announced, emphasizing her statement by stretching her arms out in the air.

"Oh? And what would that be, Miss Ashley?" She asked with a bit of concern.

"Down at the library, Jessica and I saw Lana and Sophie together, and you know what they were doing there?!" She said, with an obviously exaggerated surprised expression. "No, I can't even explain, but you have to go see it right now! Jennifer is down there making sure they don't escape."

"I assume the inspection must wait, thanks for your kindness little one, now let's see what's going on." Lucerna said, as she started to quickly walk down the hallway, leaving both Lisa and Ashley alone in front of their room.

"So, what exactly did happen?" Lisa asked, a bit annoyed. "And most importantly, will I be angry at you for telling Lucerna about it?"

Ashley took a moment to shrug and give her a small aloof smirk. "_I dunno. Depends."_ She whispered to her before going back to acting all surprised. "You gotta come with me, oh the sheer _audacity!"_

"I have a feeling I'll be despising your existence very soon, Ashley. _And you better hope that I'm wrong._" Lisa replied, as they started following sister Lucerna.

Eventually, they made their way to the library, where Lana and Sophie still had their lips pressed up against each other. Jessica was there, looking through the window, as they saw the three approach. She gave space for Lucerna to look through her spot, without saying a single word to each other.

Those two remained blissfully unaware, like a gazelle being stalked by several lionesses. When they heard the door suddenly being forcefully pushed open and realized that there was someone else there, they nearly jumped out of their skin.

"_Gahhh! What the he- oooh…" _Lana started, her anger quickly turning into fear.

"Ladies, may I ask what we're you two doing?" Sister Lucerna asked both of the girls, having an angry expression on her face, and her arms crossed firmly on her chest. "I think the rules are quite clear about such… _behavior._"

"Uhh… well I-I..." Lana tried to find the right words for an explanation and wiped the drool away from her mouth, while Sophie didn't even bother with either. They both knew that it would be a losing battle on their side.

"You two, please follow me to my office. Now!" She exclaimed. Lana and Sophie both sighed and stood up, following sister Lucerna with their heads down. As they walked through the trio, Lisa just facepalmed, while Jennifer waved goodbye to Sophie and mouthed "_Toodles!" _with a wide shit-eating grin, who returned an angry glare at her.

"So, you're Jennifer, am I correct?" Lisa asked, noticing the wave.

"Yes, that's me. And you are…?"

"Lisa Loud, Lana Loud's younger sibling." She introduced herself. "I assume that the action of telling Lucerna about the scene we just witnessed was not motivated by true belief that it is wrong, but rather some form of hatred towards Sophie."

"_Oh! _How _dare _you?! I only want what's best for her and her… _companion." _She spat the last word venomously and her eyes narrowed.

"_Sigh_, so this is the way it's gonna be." Lisa concluded. "Well, I just want to inform you that, while you might be victorious in your attempt to reveal their… secret, I've received many scientific awards in various branches of topics. Consider this a threat."

Jessica was not the least bit fazed and let out a sharp, barking laugh. "As if you could do anything. And trust me, you'll thank me later when you come to realize what a good deed I've done by unveiling the truth."

"You're just as fake as the yellow tone of your hair." Lisa declared, as she turned away to return to her dorm, not bothering to say goodbye.

Jessica gasped and brought a hand to her heart, this time genuinely offended for the first time that day. "Get back here! How dare you insult me like that?! _Get back here!" _She shouted, to no avail."_I'm still going to get back at you!"_

* * *

The dorm room opened once again, much to Lisa's ire. She turned around to see Lana and Sophie there, and her annoyance turned into shock and concern.

They were covered head to toe in varying injuries, mostly bruises of various sizes but a few small cuts here and there as well, some of which were even bleeding a little bit. Lana's nose and lip was bleeding too, but she appeared more pissed off than anything, and Sophie had ultimately gotten the brunt of the damage. One of her eyes were swollen and she had a split lip as well. She held her head and wobbled around a little, while Lana was shaking and her eyes blazed with the kind of fury that Sophie never saw before and Lisa only rarely ever saw from her.

"What the-" Lisa exclaimed, surprised. "I-I expected some sort of physical punishment, but not a domestic assault."

"Yet here we are, and I've officially had it _up to here_ with this place." Lana growled. "Turns out getting hit with a ruler a ton of times actually really hurts."

"What exactly were you expecting?" Sophie asked. "Of course it does. Especially those wood ones they have, unlike the plastic ones we get for school. They use those when you just talk too much or get to class a bit late."

"Uh… we might want to get those injuries patched up, otherwise they might get infected, even if they're small." Lisa suggested.

"Don't worry, four eyes. I've never got that bad after being punished. This place apparently isn't open enough for disease to come in here or something."

"And I've dealt with a lot worse injuries than this, y'know. Though looking back, maybe trying to fight back by leaping at her and biting the ruler was a bad idea… that's how _this _happened." Lana pointed to her bloody nose and swabbed some of the blood with a finger, inspecting it.

"Is your nose broken?" Lisa asked.

She pushed onto the left side of her nose lightly and hissed in pain. "I dunno, but I can't really smell anything other than copper."

"We might need some ice for that… and something to clean these wounds and-"

"Good luck finding those things, four eyes." Sophie said, sarcastically. "The nurse station doesn't take care of students who were punished, we heal on our own."

"That's… awful." Lisa concluded.

"That's life here, if you haven't noticed." Sophie replied.

Lisa faced the two with a bit of nervousness, as she sighed and looked down. "Hey Lana, remember when you asked me how long we'd have to wait for our family to arrive and get out of here?"

"Uhh, yeah? Wait…" Lana narrowed her eyes at her, but rather than an angry glint, it was more of a curious one. "What are you suggesting?"

"We are getting out of here, but we won't be waiting for them." Lisa answered.

"What?!" Lana exclaimed.

"Ha!" Sophie laughed. "You think you can just leave this place after living here for a few weeks?! I've tried my whole life, and… well, look where I am, what makes you think you two can get out on your own?"

"I never said that." Lisa added. "That's why we'll need your help in this. You know this place like the back of your hand, and we'll need that."

"Wait, Sophie. Remember when you said you might know a way to get into the teacher's lounge? There might be something in there we could use." Lana suggested. "A working computer if we're lucky, or some documents that could at least show us where we are, maybe even on a map!"

"I think they have a computer there. They keep everything about all the girls here in there. As for a map, I'm not sure."

"It would be interesting to know where we are, to know where we can go, most specifically, which direction towards Royal Woods."

"Yeah, and it's not like we can get in any more trouble than we're already in, so even if we get caught what do we have to lose?" Lana asked.

"Probably some intact bones." Lisa answered. "That's why we won't get caught. So first, before we try to think of a way to get out of here, we need to know our surroundings, inside and outside this place. Sophie, how do we get in the teacher's lounge?"

"Well… I'm not exactly the one that does that… problem is that the girl that _does_ is… a bit expensive."

"Take us to her." Lisa replied.

* * *

A few minutes later, the three girls were standing outside of one of the many doors in the hallway, with Sophie in front, and the two sisters back a bit. She knocked on the door, and waited. A few seconds passed until a door opened slightly, revealing a dark brown straight haired girl, wearing a pair of glasses, apparently 14 or 15. She hid most of her body behind the door, seeming a bit shy.

"H-hey there. C-can I help you with anything?" The girl nervously asked.

"Actually, you can." Sophie said, as she approached the girl. "_We're here for business._" She whispered in her ear.

The girl walked forward and checked both sides of the corridor, noticing that no one else was around. She then opened the door. "_Come in, quick_."

The three girls walked inside, noticing that another girl was laid in a bed, and she was quite similar to the one that answered the door. The room itself didn't look much different from the ones the 3 girls lived on, with the exception of there being two simple beds in opposition to one simple bed and a bunk bed.

"H-hey, what's going o-" The girl in the bed asked nervously.

"They're here for business, Julie. Cut out the scene." The girl that answered the door said, firmly and confidently.

"Oh, really?" She said, getting out of bed. "Good, I hate keeping the 'shy nerd' persona all the time." She faced the three visitors. "Well, Sophie, I see you brought new customers. Medical supplies again, I see?"

"Hey there. And well, not exactly. Though those would be useful too." Lana said and exhaled through her nose, spraying droplets of blood onto her hand.

"Sophie, who are they?" Lisa asked.

"Lana, Lisa, these are Marie and Julie. The twins of the school. For most people, the two shy nerds that stay alone and don't cause trouble. For few of us, they're the ones that get you anything for the right price. And for me… well, my ex-roommates.

"We couldn't risk you ruining everything." One of the girls said. "Even though you're a great customer."

"Yeah, I don't mind it at all." Sophie agreed. "Mary and Julie, those are Lana and four eyes-"

"Lisa!" Lisa exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah. They're the new girls that came in a couple weeks back."

"Hey there, you two." One of the girls said. "I'm Julie. If you want to remember who's who, Marie here is always the one wearing a necklace. That's the difference in appearance."

"Oh, so you two are the twins from the pet club?" Lana asked.

"Yep. That's us. And you must be the ones that covered us in the club. Thanks for fixing the dog's paw by the way, and all." Marie replied. "We didn't know if someone would take our place, but our deals always come first." She high-fived her twin.

"Ey, no problem at all and I hope that dog's doing better."

"It is. Anyway, come on, what do you need?" Marie asked.

"A little birdie told me that you might be able to get us into the teacher's lounge."

Both twins faced each other with a nervous expression, both biting the bottom of their lips.

"We can do that, but it's risky." Julie explained. "That means it's expensive."

"How expensive?" Lisa asked.

"What do you three have to offer?" Marie asked.

"Hmm… I dunno, depends on what you take as payment. Cash, wares, a favor?" Lana asked.

"Cash ain't worth a lot in here." Julie explained. "As for the others… maybe we can make a deal."

"Good, because I don't even have any loose change. What kind of deal are we talking?"

"You give us the offer, we accept or decline. That's how we work." Marie added.

"If they have a computer there, then I could get you two some p-" Lana started, only to have her proposition cut off.

"How about a one-way ticket out of this institution?" Lisa offered.

The twins gasped and faced each other again, their eyes bugging out. It looked like they were about to pop right out of their sockets.

"Escape this place?" Julie asked. "You're crazy… Lisa, right?"

"It's a very interesting offer for many, but not for us." Marie added. "Yeah, this place is bad, but at the end of the year we leave with our parents. And they'll put us in high school out of here. We won't risk ourselves when we just have to wait a few months."

"My sister is right. But if you're going to do that, perhaps we can work something out of it." Julie proposed.

"What do you mean?" Lisa asked.

"Not many people have our luxury to be able to get out of here. That means some would pay very high to get out." Julie began.

"So, if we sell a way out of here to others, and you take them with you, we've got you covered for anything you three will need." Marie completed.

"Uh, Lis, I don't think we'll be able to keep a lot of people in our home… _especially after it burned down._"

"You don't have to worry about afterwards." Marie explained. "You get them out, after that it's every girl for herself. You just have to get them out in the first place. So, you in?"

"Hmmm…" Lisa and Lana hummed and turned towards each other.

"_Should we do it?" _Lana whispered.

"_Do we have another choice?_" Lisa replied.

"_Good point. So, we're really gonna be doing this?"_

"_I won't tolerate you being hurt because of what you are… even if I warned you to not do anything stupid."_

"_Awww!" _Lana scooped Lisa up into a hug that lifted her off the ground a few inches, turning her head around to prevent smearing any blood on her. She then set her back onto the floor with a now more cheerful and determined smile. "_Let's do this." _

The two of them turned back towards Marie and Julie and nodded. "We're in." They both said.

"Great. Okay, you girls want access to the teacher's lounge…" Marie said.

"And some bandages, if possible." Lisa added.

"That one is much easier." Julie stood up and approached a chest and opened it. She tossed a closed pack of bandages towards Lisa, which she almost let fall on the floor. "You wouldn't believe how much you can hide with a fake cover."

"Back to what I was saying, you'll need a time when there's no teachers in the lounge. There's always at least one in there, and the door is locked once it's closed." Marie explained.

"That's where we come in." Julie explained. "Tomorrow, right after the first class ends, and you go to your second class, only the history teacher is in the lounge, as she doesn't have a class during that period. We'll leave something to block the door, so you can enter it."

"Wait, what about our class teacher?" Lana asked.

"What's your second period tomorrow?" The twins asked.

"I believe it's English." Lisa said.

"Then don't worry. We stumble at her by 'accident' when she's going to the first class. She can't stay awake five minutes without her coffee, so if we soil it, she won't notice you're gone." Mary developed.

"You'll have fifteen minutes in that room, before the science teacher enters it. Don't let the door close, or you're locked in there. And make sure to bring the door blocker back. You don't want to leave evidence. Got it?" Julie concluded.

"Got it. I can be sneaky when I want to be, they won't suspect a thing." Lana boasted.

"We'll find what we need, and be on our way as quick as we can." Lisa said. "And it's three people, so it will be much faster."

"That's the spirit!" Marie said, excitedly. "Now remember, if you get caught, keep your mouths shut. If they even _think_ we're related to something about you entering that room, you can forget that we exist."

"Fair enough. And I myself am in enough trouble already, so…" Lana added in. "But first, hit me up with those bandages. The pain is starting to get annoying."

"You might want something to clean those wounds." Marie said, as she nodded to Julie, who went back to the chest, and tossed a flask to her. "It will sting, but it will get it cleaned. That one's on the house."

"Oh my… thanks." Lana said, happily. "Where do you even get this stuff?"

"Sorry, _that_ is classified." Julie explained. "And don't mind it. Believe us, you'll be giving some good profit for us with this deal."

"Now, if you don't need anything else, you better go back to your rooms. They don't like when too many people stay in other rooms." Marie added.

"Alright, and thanks for the help! We'll meet again tomorrow."

With that, the trio headed out of the room with a rekindled sense of confidence. Even when things were looking down on one hand, on the other they felt like they just struck gold.

"So, now we plan how to get out of here?" Lana asked.

"We should gather information first." Lisa suggested. "There's no matter getting out of here if we don't know where to go. We can't just leave this place to starve in the streets."

"True that. And who knows what other dangers lurk out there? But once we get out, we can best them!"

"And finally go home." Lisa added.

"I'm just happy to be leaving this place." Sophie completed, with not a lot of excitement in her voice. "That's good enough."

"Yeah, it's… pretty depressing here, honestly." Lana said.

"I think that's their intention. You get so sad here that you worship a man in the sky to get happy."

"Well, regardless of what it is, we won't be dealing with it for much longer." Lisa added, as they arrived in their room. "Now, you two, why don't you sit on the bed and let me patch your wounds up?"


	18. Armageddon (Part 1)

_**(A/N): First of all, I'm again really sorry about the hiatus that was taken on this story. It ended up being longer than anticipated, but we're finally back at it again! Hopefully we'll get back into the usual schedule again, though for now updates may be a bit inconsistent.**_

* * *

The five girls met in Marie and Julie's room the next day, now ready to start working on the plan. Lana and Sophie's wounds were patched up by then, though Lana was still pretty pissed off to say the least. She wore a scowl and her eyes burned bright with fury like plumes of blue fire.

"So, when do we get to go into the teacher's lounge? I'm ready to get some revenge." Lana asked, crossing her arms. The other four looked towards her unamusedly. "After we get the stuff we need to escape, I mean."

"Like we told you, you'll have to get there between first and second period." Marie said. "We'll get the history teacher out of there, and you have around 15 minutes to do… whatever you have to."

"You better get what you need to escape. We're already setting some stuff up with a couple of the girls. If you go in there just to screw with the teachers, forget us." Julie added.

"It's not all about screwing with the teachers. I promise that we're going to get everything we need first, I've had it up to here with this place." Lana promised. "But I'm also going to enact some grody revenge on them that'll make them wish Sister Lucerna never picked up a ruler afterwards."

Everyone faced Lana with a look of concern and a bit of a fright. With the exception of Lisa who was not only the less surprised, but also kind of already expecting something as such.

"_This one lost it quickly." _Marie whispered to her sister.

"_Tell me about it_." Julie said, as she stood up from her bed. "Alright, first class will start soon. So, just follow your part of the plan, and we'll follow ours."

The other four nodded understandingly before waiting for the bell to ring. Lisa, Lana, and Sophie left the room as they made their way to their first class. They had a few minutes, so they weren't rushing in the long hallways towards their destiny.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this." Sophie said.

"You bet we are." Lana replied. "It'll be good to finally leave this place."

"So, Lana… I'm probably going to regret asking this, but how exactly do you plan on getting your revenge?" Lisa asked.

"Ehh, if there's any filters I'll take those down, and if there aren't then things will just be easier. They're gonna learn what a shock site is when I change the computer's desktop wallpaper."

"... so that's your plan? Creep religious adults out with content that will make them scream?"

"No no no, the plan is to get everything we need to get out of this joint. Creeping religious adults out is my revenge after we get what we need. I'm a girl of my word."

"Okay… somehow I'm surprised by this." Lisa shook her head. "So, Sophie… what are your plans after we get out of here?"

"What do you mean? I thought I could stay with you?"

"And you can, of course. But I believe it's not your intention to just live the rest of your life passively with us, correct?"

"I mean… I don't know where else I would go. I haven't really thought about that… like, what _can_ I do?"

"How about we focus on getting out of here in the first place?" Lana interrupted. "None of this planning will mean anything if we just can't get out."

"True. I guess we'll just cross that bridge when we get to it."

* * *

The second bell rang and the three of them left their class, giving them the signal that they needed. They were confident under the cover of a swarm of students trying to get to class, and using that to their advantage, they went in the other direction without so much as a soul seeming to notice them. If anyone did notice, they didn't care.

"Okay. Sophie, you know this place like the palm of your hand, so where's the teacher's lounge?" Lana asked. "For real, this place looks like a maze."

"That way." Sophie pointed to the left as they reached a split path. She moved up to the front to lead the Loud sisters. They continued to follow her throughout the building. It was a long way away from where they were before, but eventually they came across two wooden doors at the end of the path.

"Hmm… the door is closed." Sophie said, as she tried the door handle. "And locked. Great."

"Maybe the twins haven't done their part yet. We'll have to wait to see." Lisa theorized. "But we should hide. Regardless of what happens we don't want to get caught."

"Where are we going to hide? There's nothing but walls, these doors, and empty space around us." Lana said.

"Well, this other door is a bathroom. We can stay in here." Sophie said.

"Alright, I guess Lisa wouldn't mind that either. After all, that was her favorite place to put cameras back at home." Lana snarked.

"Very funny." Lisa said. "As a matter of fact, all the material recorded was saved purely for study and scientific reasons and-"

"What's a camera?" Sophie asked.

Both Lana and Lisa looked at her with a bit of surprise.

"You're serious right now?" Lisa asked. "The other stuff I could understand, but a camera?"

"Okay, fine, I was just joking this time… even if I haven't seen a lot of them."

"Can we just finish this talk inside the bathroom?!" Lana asked, growing more annoyed by the second. "Someone will find us."

"You were the one stalling us, but okay." Lisa grumbled, then walked in as Lana and Sophie followed. She sighed when she heard Lana giggle, but stopped her with a '_shush' _gesture before she could ask if the pun was intended.

"Now what?" Sophie asked.

"Let's wait. Maybe we can spy on the teacher's lounge, or try to hear someone approaching it."

"See what I mean about the cameras and the bathroom and the spying? But all jokes aside, let's do that."

"You just can't let it slide, can you?" Lisa asked. "What do you even believe I did with the data?"

"Do you really want me to answer that, Lisa?" Lana replied before going silent for a moment. "Okay, I don't really know, but come on, you gotta admit that it was pretty weird."

"Lana, considering our family, the definition of weird is basically nonexistent."

"Okay fine, but _why _did you need to have those cameras there? I don't think you needed to keep them there after that indoor snowball fight ended."

"Well, obviously it seems you can't comprehend my true objectives with leaving them there."

"You mean invading our privacy or-"

"That's enough!" Lisa exclaimed.

"You two seem to have a lot of… issues back at home." Sophie commented.

"You wouldn't believe it." Lisa replied.

"Come on sis, it wasn't _that_ bad." Lana interrupted.

"When the CPS is called more times than the number of siblings we have you know something is wrong."

"Dang, and here I thought this place had issues." Sophie muttered.

"Ehh, once you live the Loud lifestyle you get used to it. At least, we _used _to be used to it…" Lana said.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a nearby door opening. Their ears perked and their eyes widened. Careful not to make a sound, they slowly and quietly pushed the bathroom door open just enough to poke their heads out. They saw the history teacher about to enter the teacher's lounge, only for Marie and Julie to run towards her.

"S-sister Beatrix, I-I need your help. There's a rat in mine and my sister's room, and we need help to get it out!" Marie said.

They saw the history teacher nod and leave the teacher's lounge, with Marie following right behind. Before she made distance from the door, though, the three students saw her dropping something onto the floor. It didn't make enough noise to get the teacher's attention, and it blocked the door, stopping it from closing. After a few seconds, when neither of them were still visible, the three girls left the bathroom, and went towards the door.

"Huh, that was quite easy." Lisa commented, as she crouched to see a small wooden brick near the edge of the door. "But we have no time to waste. Let's go."

They went inside and looked around, marvelling about how comfortable it looked. Maybe it wasn't a five star hotel, but just by the fact that it had a couch, a table with coffee and biscuits, and a (unlit) fireplace, was already an upgrade from the stone hallways and wooden chairs of their classrooms. No wonder kids were always trying to get into the teacher's lounge back at Lisa and Lana's old schools. In the back near the center sat a desk and an old dusty computer. The monitor's screen flickered, showing that it still worked. Lisa and Sophie felt a tinge of hope while the urge for revenge burned within Lana.

"So… where should we start looking?" Sophie asked confusedly. Despite having been at the boarding school her whole life, she never got to see the lounge before and it wasn't at all what she was expecting. She expected it to look much older and worn out, like the rest of the establishment was.

"Let me see if I can find any sort of relevant data on this computer." Lisa said, getting in front of it, and looking towards a corner. "Huh… a printing machine… Lana can you turn that on?" She asked, as she began typing.

"Sure." Lana obliged and pressed the power button on the machine. It took a few seconds to start up, but eventually a loud noise started emitting from it as it did its job. "Thing seems to be running, Lis… _oh boy with these things will be even better!"_

"Uh… what should I do?" Sophie asked, a bit lost around that room.

"Try searching through cabinets around. There might be something useful for us."

"You mean… stealing?" Sophie asked, a bit nervously.

"It's not stealing. It's reappropriating objects. Lana, give her a hand."

"And it's only wrong if you steal something from someone that doesn't deserve to have something stolen from them." Lana added in. She went over towards the cabinets and started haphazardly sifting through the contents. Neatness was never her forte and they didn't have much time anyway.

They soon came across a folder that was bursting at the seams, tearing apart as it could barely contain the contents held within it. Lana took it out and blew on it, an opaque dust cloud blowing off of it and making the three of them cough in the process.

"What in the name of…" Lisa coughed, putting her sleeve up to her mouth. "What is that?!"

Now that the dust had been cleared, they could see the label much more clearly. "It's called dust, Lisa. And we found the student records, looks like they shoved it all into this one folder." Lana opened it up, letting out even more dust in the air like a puff of smoke. "With how old it is though, I don't think they added ours in. Or maybe they did and it's just that we've been here for so long at this point."

"Yeah, I doubt it." Lisa said.

"Wait… student files? Does that mean I'm in there?" Sophie asked.

"What do you think?!" Lisa said, a bit annoyed.

"Lisa, come on, take it easy on her." Lana scolded.

"If I wasn't trying to access the internet with a computer made before both of us were born, maybe I wouldn't be so stressed." Lisa complained. "And apparently they think Jesus will protect them from viruses, judging by the number of pop ups."

"Yeah, well Jesus isn't gonna protect them from me once I get on there. No matter how long it takes to load a webpage on that dinosaur."

Sophie took the folder and started going through them. They were organized in alphabetical order, so it was easy for her to get to the 'S' section. Her heart raced and she bit her nails as she went through each wrinkly paper that was yellowed with age. She pulled one of them out and examined it, nearly dropping the folder onto the ground due to how shaky her hands were.

"Hey Lana." Lisa called.

"Yeah?" Lana asked, as her head was turned, searching for something else in the cabinets. "What's up?"

"I think your friend over there is having a stroke or something, might want to check on her." Lisa explained. "And no I don't want a laundry discount!" She said clicking the mouse furiously.

"Huh?" Lana turned her attention to Sophie and cautiously approached her, not wanting to startle her. "Hey… hey, you okay?" She asked softly.

"T-t-this… t-t-this is m-me!" Sophie stuttered, holding a piece of paper in the air. "I-I-it has e-everything a-about me!"

"Yep, that's you alright. So… what's going on here? Anything surprising?"

"I-I-I have a b-birthday! A-and p-parents! A-and a s-surname! A-and a… I don't even know what the rest of this is, but I have it!"

"I think that's an address." Lana said. "Maybe where you lived before coming here?"

"Whoa… so if I get out of here… maybe I could go there."

"It says some place in Detroit. Huh, well that explains a lot."

"What would you even do there?" Lisa questioned, as she seemed to finally starting to manage her research. "It's a shot in the dark, and that was probably done years ago. It's highly unlikely that your biological parents even live there anymore."

"B-but I have to see! I need to know them!" Sophie explained.

"I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have such necessities for a couple that literally abandoned you here." Lisa replied.

"And who knows if they're even still there? How long have you been here anyway?" Lana asked.

"I already said, I don't know." Sophie claimed.

"Well your file must have some sort of data regarding your entrance here." Lisa theorized. "Okay, I managed to locate ourselves. I'm printing the maps of the local area and the state of Michigan, so we can route ourselves once we get out. We need anything else?"

"I dunno. How much time do we have left before we gotta skedaddle?" Lana asked.

"Around 3 minutes." Lisa estimated. "Grab whatever you need, put the rest in place now, and let's get out!"

"Wait! What about the revenge though? I promise I'll make it quick."

"Fine! Be my guest!" Lisa said, as she heard her papers being printed. "But I won't stay here and risk getting caught, and neither will Sophie, right?"

"Uh… I-I guess?" Sophie said.

"Nah it's cool, you don't need to see what I'm about to do. It's gonna be really grody." Lana said as she wore an evil grin. "They… they don't have filters. This is gonna be easier than I thought." With that, she started cackling maniacally as she typed away furiously. Despite the computer being slower than ever, she managed to quickly find something worthy, and continued laughing until she changed the computer's background "This is why you don't mess with Lana Lionella Marie Loud!"

"I worry about her quite often…" Lisa remarked.

"Why though?" Sophie asked, as both of them went towards the door to sneak out of the teacher's lounge.

"For starters that's not even her middle name. She just saw that one day and thought it sounded cool."

"Well it's my middle name now because I said so." Lana insisted and got up, following them as they snuck out. "And they won't know what hit 'em." She snickered.

"Judging by the way she's talking, they _definitely _won't know what hit them…"

* * *

After escaping from the teacher's lounge, and making their way through the rest of the classes like nothing has happened, Lisa, Lana and Sophie reunited back in their bedroom. They had maps, paper, pencils, files, and biscuits that Lana somehow stole from the teacher's lounge. Those things were still better than the mystery meat.

"Okay, so I've made models of the school's structure based on maps placed around the walls of this place." Lisa said as she finished doing some scratches on one of the papers. "Now we can begin to plan exactly how we're going to get out."

"We might need a distraction." Lana suggested. "If we can get the attention of security away from us for long enough, perhaps we can even escape through the front door."

"I agree. What kind of distraction would we use?" Lisa questioned.

"Oh I'm great with distractions. Maybe we could get one of the toilets clogged, one that's far away from the others while we're escaping, and while they go to check on it I'll join you guys as you make your getaway. Or since they don't like me that much anymore, I could piss them off and while they're focused on me, you guys make your getaways, I'll steer them away somewhere else and then join you. Or I could start a fight and get them to focus entirely on me, I think I could take on quite a few people if I'm cornered. Or maybe…"

Lana continued to list off various methods of distraction as Lisa and Sophie listened and took notes, Sophie mentally and Lisa writing them down.

"...Or I could even-"

"Okay, we got it." Sophie interrupted her. "I don't think distractions are going to be enough. We might want to avoid the front door if we could."

"Is there some sort of back door you're aware of that you could use?" Lisa asked.

"Sort of." Sophie explained. "There's this truck that brings food and water to this place once every two days, near the back of the school. Perhaps we could escape from where they stop to unload."

"So, how would we get to the truck, and quickly enough so it doesn't leave before we can get there?" Lana asked.

"There's people around there unloading the food, but if we sneak our way past them, we can make our way through the back gate." Sophie pointed on the map, at the opposite side of the front door. "That thing stays open until the truck finishes its delivery. It doesn't have enough space for the truck to park entirely inside."

"I guess that can work, but also Marie and Julie said that we'd need to bring others alongside the escape. They probably wouldn't notice three girls, but trying to sneak more than that would be more difficult. So how do we sneak everyone past?"

"You got me there… maybe we can just try to run for it, or make a distraction? They unload at night, so it's probably a bit easier."

"Maybe I could fight them-"

"Lana, no, you're not fighting anybody. We don't need you getting into more trouble than you're already in if it fails." Lisa cut her off with a '_stop' _gesture before turning to Sophie. "Wait… you said at night?"

"Well, yes… why?" Sophie asked.

"There might be a flaw that we can exploit." Lisa said, scratching the pencil. "Us, alongside most of the girls, are located in the middle of the building. The main exit options are at West and East, both guarded by the school's staff. But there's a finite number of staff members around, which means they leave the north area mostly unsupervised." Lisa pointed at it.

Lana and Sophie both looked confused.

"Well, four eyes, we might not get caught in the north, but what do you think we'll do in there? It's the softball field, that place is walled in all four sides." Sophie explained.

"You're right. We don't have an exit, we only have walls. But since there most likely won't be anyone around, we might be able to go _over_ the wall. The thing is not higher than maybe two of us pulled together. We could climb it."

"I'm not too good with heights…" Lana said nervously. "But I'm willing to try it if it'll get us out of this place."

"We could maybe try to find something to help us climb it. Ropes, or platforms, whatever that can aid us to get over. Perhaps the twins could provide us with such." Lisa suggested.

"And once we get over the wall, would we end up near the truck or would we need to do something else to get there before then?"

"I think we might actually be able to avoid the truck if we climb the right wall, and we will be free once we cross it." Sophie explained. "Maybe the one on the far end of the map."

"Huh, so we could save the truck for a backup plan, but try the wall first? Or the other way around?"

"I suggest we try the wall. That seems easier to use to sneak out rather than the truck." Lisa replied.

"Wait, what about Charles and Cliff?" Lana asked. "They're still in the pet club, we can't just leave them."

"You're not wrong." Lisa agreed, rubbing her chin. "Hmm… that's easy to solve. We could just sneak them out prior to the escape, and bring them with us."

"Hmm… alright, you still have those blankets we hid them in all that time ago?"

"They're still in the closet." Sophie said. "We can just wrap them up in there and bring them with us."

"Alright, but we have to be careful with them. I guess we have all the major stuff figured out, right?"

"Mostly, yes. We might want to check the routes we could do for some extra information, but the main idea is here."

The other two nodded in agreement. Now that they had the main plan in mind, all they needed was to set it all up before putting it into action. The first thing on the list, is to discovering who is going with them.

* * *

During the night, the twins' bedroom had much more girls than it had ever seen. Sure, there were only 10 in total, but that was a great number considering what they were doing. Most faces were familiar, but not close to Lisa and Lana. They had a couple names, like Jennifer, who despite not being very popular between the creators of the plan, paid well enough to be there.

"Alright, we're going to be using aliases for the sake of hiding our identities, should anyone overhear us or find our documents detailing the plan." Lana announced as she paced in Marie and Julie's room. Beside her stood Lisa, Sophie and the twins, while several other girls that made a deal sat on the beds.

"You are not to refer to each other by _any other name _while our mission is in progress. I assume that everyone knows why we are gathered here now, and if not then I suggest you leave immediately." Lisa added in. "Do not talk about anything that could give away who you are that could reveal your or others' identities either."

"All we want you to talk about… is what you're gonna do." Sophie said.

Lana cleared her throat as she went through the roster and started giving them their names. "I'm Miss Blue because I get first pickings. Lisa, you're Miss Green. Sophie's Miss Black, Julie's Miss Purple, Marie's Miss Pink, Jessica's _Miss Brown-"_

"Hey, I don't want to be Miss Brown, that's the color of poo!"

"What a coincidence." Lisa murmured.

"Why does Marie get to be Miss Pink, _I _should be Miss Pink!"

"You're Miss Brown because you got Sophie and I beaten with a ruler and I've had it with your shit!" Lana snapped, taking a step forward while trying to restrain herself from starting a fight.

"Why can't I be Miss Magenta then?!"

"You're not Miss Magenta… _you're Miss Brown!" _

"Okay, before you two start screaming and make our whole plan go down the drain..." Lisa interrupted. "Our alternative names don't matter that much. They will only be used for at most week."

Lana took a deep breath to calm herself down and she continued with the list. "She's right so just suck it up the way I am right now." She shot a glare at Jessica. "Ashley's Miss Yellow because she also pisses me off _and you better not start an argument." _Lana warned as she saw Ashley about to object. She didn't have any problems with the other girls and pointed at them to give them their names instead to get things done quicker. "Miss White, Miss Orange and Miss Red."

"Okay, distractions with colors that should only be considered fun for infants being done..." Lisa took a step forward, as the other girls surrounded her. "We don't know each other very well, and some might have their differences. But we'll forget those-"

"_Then why am I still Miss Br-"_

"We're past that now, we need to focus here!" Lana complained.

"Why can't we pick our own names?"

"Then everybody would be fighting over who gets to be Miss Blue, and we don't have time for that. Like Lisa said, we don't know each other well so nobody would back down. I pick, and I say you're Miss Brown." Lana growled. "Now zip it. Be glad your nickname isn't that of a shock site, Lisa talked me out of doing that."

"Who cares what your nickname is? We won't have them for long." One of the other girls said, just as done with everything as Lisa and Lana were.

"Easy for you to say, you're Miss White. You get a nice and innocent-sounding name, so if it's no big deal to be Miss Brown why don't we trade?"

"Nobody is trading names." Lisa sighed and facepalmed.

"What's a shock site?" Sophie asked.

"Nothing. We're getting off track, and it's gonna be lights out soon!" Lana exclaimed.

"Enough." Lisa said. "Let's make it like this. If anyone complains one more time, you'll be left behind. Everyone paid a high price to be here, and there's a lot at risk. We only have one shot, otherwise security will increase, and they will make our escape impossible. So the next girl that makes a single sound not related to the plan, you're out of this room. Understand?!" She exclaimed the last part.

"And no refunds!" Marie and Julie added in unison.

The other girls nodded frantically, surprised by the outburst. Jessica and Ashley continued to glare at them, but kept their mouths shut. They went over the plans and where everyone would be, while Lisa and Lana made sure to leave out the part about the pets.

"So, plain and simple." Lana concluded. "At midnight, we meet at the softball field. Once we're out of here, we don't hold responsibilities for no one. I know we have our differences, but we'll have to work together for this thing to work. Good luck to everyone."

And with that, the girls, one at a time, made their way out of the room, one at a time to avoid suspicious, until only the twins were left with Lisa, Lana, and Sophie.

"You girls are crazy, but your plan might work." Julie said.

"How come nobody ever tried to escape this way before? It does seem quite simple." Lisa asked.

"Jumping over the wall might be simple, especially if you have equipment. The problem is getting to the softball field." Mary explained.

"The last one that tried to escape years ago was never seen again after she was caught." Julie added.

The three girls gulped after hearing that last statement.

"I don't think anything bad happened to _her_. She was caught, but somehow she managed to hide in the school. Probably got out one way or another."

"Alright, so if we get caught then that's what we'll do. Thank you, by the way. We wouldn't be able to pull any of this off without you." Lana said, giving them a warm smile.

"You girls don't seem bad. Good luck to you out there." Marie said.

"You might want to get out to your room now though. You don't want to have to sneak around twice." Julie added. "And Sophie… it was nice knowing you."

"Uh… thanks?" Sophie said, a bit confused but appreciative nonetheless. "I guess… see you two someday?"

"We'll find a way to keep in touch." Mary said. "We always find a way."

And with that, the three girls left and rushed to their bedrooms. They couldn't wait to get out, but they couldn't celebrate yet. A lot had to go right, but if it did, freedom would be their best friend.


	19. Armageddon (Part 2)

"Okay, I think everything we got is packed." Lana said.

The three roommates were still awake in the dead of the night. Lisa and Lana were finishing packing up their things, the latter making sure that all of the spots were clear of their belongings, while the former finished improvising backpacks with the blankets they had and some well done knots, so stuff wouldn't fall off and their hands would be clear. Meanwhile, Sophie was sitting alone in the bottom bunk bed, reading the files about her that she found in the teacher's lounge.

"Elder sibling, is your colleague ready to go?" Lisa asked, as she finished the last backpack. "She seems a bit… distracted."

"Come on Lis, She's our friend, not a colleague." Lana replied. "But I guess I should check her out." She reached out and tapped Sophie on the shoulder, making her turn around. "Hey, you alright?" She started, sitting by her side.

"I… well, I don't know. This is all a lot to take in, I-" Sophie was staring at the files. Instead of her usual stone-cold gaze, or what one might call a 'resting bitch face,' it was softer. "I- to think that after all these years of having no hope, I finally know what it's like to be looking forward to the future."

"That's great!" Lana exclaimed. "It's good to see you excited. But… you still seem a bit bothered by something."

"Lana… this thing… it has my parents' name in this thing."

"It does?!" Lisa turned her head, exclaiming. "Huh, you'd think most parents that abandon their kids in religious centers would never ident- _oof_!" Lisa grunted, as she saw Lana throwing a pillow at her, making her fall in the bed with the backpacks.

"Lisa, let her be happy for once and don't rain on her parade." Lana chided. "We don't need any of that, what we need to do is get out of here with the others as soon as we can."

"Excuse me for stating the obvious." Lisa complained, turning around. "Many cases of abandonment or adoption happen without identification of the parents. It's almost like they want to be findable."

"They'd want me to find them?" Sophie asked.

"That's not what I sai-"

"M-Maybe I should go after them. I-I mean, what do I have to lose?"

"A lot, actu-"

"I mean, these are confidential files, though. As in, nobody but the staff is meant to see them. I doubt they expected any students to come in and obtain one of 'em." Lana suggested, trying to keep a reassuring tone. She kind of agreed with Lisa, though she didn't want to say that out loud. Not with Sophie there being the happiest she'd seen her in a while. Even though Lana only knew her for a few months. "Maybe that's why they didn't bother keeping them anonymous."

"Still, if they have their names, that means they didn't just try to get rid of me… m-maybe they had no choice!"

"If they had no choice back then they'd come back from now." Lisa said. "It's a shot in the dark going after them now. You might want to get used to the outside world first."

"Hey, this whole escape plan is a shot in the dark too! What if we fail?" Sophie questioned.

"This plan was given meticulous detail with observations, paths, and methods of escape. Yes, it is not guaranteed to work, but it has a better chance of success than going after some people that left you here several years ago." Lisa explained.

"Speaking of the plan, shouldn't we be putting it into action? We want to get out of here and back to Royal Woods as quick as we can." Lana asked, not tired in the slightest.

"I agree that the sooner we leave the better, but it's very late and in just 6 hours or so we will have been up for 24 full hours." Lisa stated.

"So what? Wouldn't it be easier to sneak out with the cover of the night? We'd have to be really quiet though."

"It would also be interesting for us to be awake." Lisa said. "So, is everyone ready?"

"Ready to leave this ironic hellhole? Definitely!" Lana said with a sense of vigor.

"I guess there's nothing holding us back." Sophie concluded, holding her papers. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Then all of you grab grab your bags. We still must make a stop at the pet club before proceeding out of this place." Lisa clarified. "It will be one less thing to do when we wake up, so it's best to get it done while we're still awake."

The other two nodded and headed out the door, quiet as a mouse. They weren't able to move as quickly as they'd normally be able to, in fear of accidentally stepping on a squeaky floorboard or walking too loudly and waking someone up. Lisa and Lana had experience with that in their old house, so it wasn't too difficult. Sophie, however, didn't and needed to put in extra concentration to stay just as quiet.

The dark halls made it all a bit more difficult to navigate, as all the corridors just felt like the same and that they were wandering in circles. Fortunately they weren't spotted by the couple Sisters who were wandering around. A bit curious since they didn't remember seeing a lot of movement of the institution's staff at that time, but they didn't have the time to wonder why.

Eventually, the three girls arrived at the staircase that led towards the pet club. Going extra slowly to avoid any sort of sound, they went up and arrived on the door, with a small beam of light shining from the slot under the door. And before they had the chance to knock on the door, the door opened by itself, revealing a familiar face behind it.

"So, you made it this far. Not bad." Mary said.

"Wait, how are you here?" Lana asked, a bit confused. "How did you know-"

"How about you get inside before the whole plan gets discovered?!" Mary quietly whispered, as she signaled for them all to come inside.

They did, and the place was nearly empty aside from them, Mary and Julie, and a bunch of snoring pets all across the floor. Charlies and Cliff were already prepared nearby for them to take, both asleep near the corner. Lana reached out and held Charlies, while Lisa held Cliff. They held them as carefully as possible, not wanting to wake them up and complicate their plan any further.

"I didn't expect you two to be here." Lisa said, as she placed Cliff carefully inside her improvised bag, making sure he was comfortable. "But at the same time, I shouldn't be surprised."

"We knew you'd want your friends ready quickly, so we got you some help." Julie explained. "Consider it a thanks for what you've done. Our sales of the escape were very profitable, as you know."

"Hope it was." Lana replied, as she saw Charles slightly open his eyes, and she began cuddling him so he wouldn't wake up. "Now we're meeting the others out in the field. You sure you two won't come?"

"Like we said, we're good." Mary said. "Besides, we still have to take care of the rest of the pets. You don't want everyone to go crazy and lose them."

"You two are very good people. Thank you." Lana complimented, slightly bowing her head as a sign of respect.

"We're not exactly good… we share a common interest." Mary explained.

"Can't disagree with that." Julie said, as she approached the three girls. "It was nice knowing you all. Hope we get to see each other again. But with that being said said… good luck to you three."

"And Sophie…" Mary continued. "You've been a cool girl to us. Thanks for everything. Hope you enjoy the other side."

"Alright, can we wrap it up already?" Lisa asked. "We don't exactly have all the time in the world, you know. Thank you both, but we must be on our way now."

"Jeez Lis, calm down." Lana complained. "Sorry, she's just a bit like that."

"Out there, it may pay more for all of you to be like her." Julie commented, as she went for the door. Opening it, she signed the way out. "Once again, good luck on your journey, and see you on the other side."

Lisa and Lana both left the room, as Sophie followed behind, but before she left she stood in front of Julie, giving her an awkward goodbye hug, which left Lisa, Mary, and Julie herself a bit weirded out. Lana just saw it with a bit of joy. Soon, they both began going downstairs, Lisa in front, Lana and Sophie on back.

"So, you ready for this?" Lana asked Sophie.

"I guess so… I'll miss them." Sophie confessed. "They were the closest thing I had for friends before you and four eyes."

"You know friends actually remember each others' names, right?" Lisa complained, quietly.

"Shut up, Lisa." Lana complained.

"Why is it always me-"

"Let's just be quiet, alright?" Lana shushed her, as they reached the bottom stairs.

It took longer for them to get back to their dorm room on the way back, in an effort to not wake the pets. They slunk in and softly closed the door. They set the pets on the foot of Lana's bed and tucked themselves in.

"Tomorrow, or well, later today, shit is going down." Lana declared.

"What's sh-" Sophie was about to ask, only for Lana to cut her off.

"It means poo, okay? Alright? We good? I'll teach you what other swears mean later so you won't be confused anymore."

"Uh… okay? Alright then. Goodnight."

"Night." Lana said, as she closed her eyes.

* * *

The alarm rang through the room, stirring the three occupants awake. It was set to go off at an earlier time than it normally would, right at the crack of dawn. They barely got enough sleep, but that can wait when there's places to go and shit to do.

Lana was the first to hop out of bed, strange for someone who usually liked to sleep in as much as possible. Still clad in her uniform from the day before, she put her cap which never left her side on and turned it backwards before looking up and facing Lisa and Sophie who were still asleep.

"C'mon you two, rise and shine…" Lana tapped on the frame of Sophie's bed, waking her up, as she slowly sit on the top bunk. She went over to Lisa's and did the same thing, though she didn't move a muscle. Frustrated, she got closer to the point of looming over her. "_Wake up!" _She barked sharply.

Lisa jumped out of bed with a petrified look on her face. "_Gaaagh! _I'm up, I'm up!"

Lana's facial expression softened into a small smile and she moved back. "Mornin' Lis. Ready for the big day?"

"Ugh, I guess" Lisa mumbled, as she rubbed her eyes and reached for her glasses. "What time is it?"

"6:47 in the morning. Also known as dawn, just as we agreed on. I don't wanna be up right now any more than you do, but here we are."

"_Sigh_, guess this is it…" Lisa said, as she sat down on her bed.

"Yep. We're gonna stick it to those pretentious assholes and get outta this place. And hopefully find our family as quickly as I can. Honestly, I even miss Luan's bad puns."

"Wow… that's something I never thought I'd hear you say." Lisa confessed. "Or anyone, for that matter."

"Yeah, everything's just been taking a toll on me. If you would've asked me about her puns last year before everything happened, there's probably no way I'd say that." Lana mused. "But they weren't all that bad, actually. I mean, they got better."

"At least her pranks got less lethal." Lisa agreed. "She improved a lot… we all did, I guess…"

"She sounds like a fun person." Sophie joined the conversation.

"She was. Well, 364 days a year anyway, and 365 during leap years."

"Every April Fool's day was a nightmare for the whole family, though." Lisa added. "Regardless, we really shouldn't stall for too long."

Lana nodded in agreement. With a grin that made her canine teeth jut out and showed she meant business, all she had to say were two words - "It's _showtime."_

"I never like that smile. That means she'll do something really stupid."

The smile only grew even wider.

* * *

The three of them opened their dorm room, Lana carrying the luggage, Lisa with the pets, and Sophie with what they swiped from the teacher's lounge. They made their way outside of their room, only to meet the other girls that would go with them out of that place. They seemed a bit nervous to still be out there at that time.

"Err, sorry to keep you guys waiting." Lana sheepishly apologized, only to be met with varying looks and grunts of disapproval.

"For the leaders of this whole thing, you aren't very quick!" Jennifer complained, quietly. "We gotta get out now! The teachers are almost hunting us."

"Wait, what? What do you mean by that?" Lisa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know what happened, but apparently some prankster went inside the teacher's lounge and changed the background of their computer." One of the girls said. "They were out looking for who did it. They caught Emily while searching. I think she opened her mouth."

Lana's face then went white as a sheet as her breath hitched in her throat. She knew it was only a matter of time before her little surprise was discovered, but she didn't expect it to be so soon. "A-and wh.. what was the background changed to?" She asked in a strained voice.

"I don't know. We just listened at the door of the teacher's lounge. But we can't stay here-"

"Look. They're coming!" Ashley said, as she noticed a bright beam of a flashlight coming around one of the corners.

"Everyone, come inside!" Lisa exclaimed, as she made space for everyone to dash inside their bedroom, and quietly close the door. Lisa still stood near the door and peeked through the keyhole.

"What was that? Sounded like a door closing…" A voice sounded from the other side as the footsteps got closer and closer, louder and louder. It belonged to Sister Lucerna.

"Damm, what are we gonna do?!" Ashley said, panicking.

"Everyone, get inside the closet!" Lana whispered, as she opened it up. Lisa looked towards her and she could tell she wanted to say something, but suppressed it. "Sophie, Lis, get in the beds. Now!"

The girls quickly dashed into the double door closet and managed to all fit in, since it was quite spacious and all four of them were relatively thin. Sophie quickly climbed the ladder of her bed, and Lisa dashed into her sheets. Lana got on the bottom bunk of her bed after tossing her cap under the whole thing, and the three immediately closed their eyes.

The door flung open and several teachers poured into the room, only to find nothing suspicious. Their heads turned from side to side, necks craned, and eyes darting around as they inspected the room.

"Lucerna, I didn't get a chance to ask before but I heard the ruler in your classroom the other day…" One of the teachers mentioned. "Who was it this time?"

"This is not our main concern now." Lucerna said, as she turned around. The group of teachers followed her as they left the room, and closed the door. "_There's still others trying to get out, according to that girl."_

"_You know, I may not support the nature of those two girls but you didn't have to use the ruler." _Sister Taeda remarked with concern, the last thing everyone in the room heard before the teachers were all out of earshot.

"_Are we good?"_ Lana whispered towards Lisa, opening her eyes so slightly.

"Yeah, were good." Lisa said, as she lifted her head out of her bed.

The three of them got out of their beds while everyone else stepped out of the closet. They reassembled back into a group, now more on edge than before and more hesitant to make a move.

"What do we do now?!" One of the girls mumbled. "I don't wanna get caught."

"Me neither! You know how bad it will be for us." Ashley added.

"Does anyone here have a plan?" Another girl asked.

"Well the plan was to sneak out of here without anyone noticing, but now it looks like we're going to have to improvise a bit." Lana said, narrowing her eyes. "We've got a rat here, and not the cute kind. And when I find her _I'm gonna-_"

"Now is not the time to find culprits." Lisa interrupted. "She might not even be here. I'm actually counting one person short from our meeting with the twins."

"Wait, really? Alright, everyone get together, we're doing a head count." Lana counted the people in the room in her head, pointing a finger at each person there as she went along. Indeed, they really were one person short. "Wait, where's Miss Red?"

"You mean Emily?"

"Not now, Miss Orange." Lana interrupted. "Great, we're one off… and don't call each other by our real names! They can't figure out who's in this, and I haven't spent all that time thinking of colors for nothing."

"I thought you only did that so you could call Jennifer a piece of-"

"Li- _Miss Green, _not now! And I'm serious about these aliases, people. Now more than ever, we need to make sure everything else goes according to plan and we can't have anything else compromised."

"Uh… what exactly is the plan?" Ashley asked.

Sophie cleared her throat and stepped up to face the rest of them. "Are you all aware of the walls that surround the softball field?"

"Yeah, but why?" One of the girls asked.

"Climbing them is our best bet to make it to the other side. Is everyone able to climb?"

Most of them raised their hands, though a few either didn't or had their hands up halfway, not quite sure.

"Okay, whoever can climb will help up the people that can't. We're all in this together."

"You think we'll have enough time to climb? The teachers will be frantically after us, and I don't know if we can even reach it." One of the girls asked.

"We have to try. If not, we'll go for the trucks that stop by every once in a while to deliver food and water. I kept track of their schedule and going by that, they will be here today."

"Well… okay I guess… but won't we be too easy to find all together? Maybe we should split up?"

"Hmm… true. Alright, then. Let's split up, gang!" Lana announced. And so, one after one, some alone and others in pairs, slowly left the room, until only Lisa, Lana and Sophie remained.

"So, are you two ready to get out of here?" Sophie asked.

"You bet. We just make it out there, and climb our way out. We can then figure our paths outside." Lana assured.

"Let's just hope that our supplies last long enough for such a trip." Lisa pointed out. "Perhaps we could get some aid from public transportation or maybe even ask for help in a local police station to return home."

"Yeah, when we get there anyway. Say… do you think they would know that we're gone? I mean, there was stuff going on with the hospital visits and calls, and stuff like that."

"They may as well be in search of us." Lisa theorized. "Let's just try and make things easier for them and try to go back."

"How?"

"By not needing to be found. If we get off here and in contact with the outside world, it's much easier to make whoever is looking for us to track us down."

"You've got a point. Well then, let's go!"

And so they left their bedroom as quietly as possible, making sure no teachers were in sight, and closed the door for the last time. With their supplies and pets on their backs, Lisa and Lana crouch-walked down the walls of the long and seemingly endless hallways, as Sophie led their way through the somewhat dark area. The sky began to change from its black color to an orange tone, as they realized it wouldn't take long for the sun to show up on the horizon.

By the time they got to the softball field, there were already a few people attempting to climb over them. A few managed to get over, and one slipped and fell over on the other side.

"Come on, let's help them out. And then get ourselves out." Lana said, as she began dashing through the field near the walls that she's close to.

Lisa and Sophie soon followed behind, and helped the fallen girl back on her knees. Lisa and Lana gave her a boost up, as Sophie herself tried to climb over the wall. Just then, they heard more footsteps behind them. Turning around, they saw that the teachers had gotten there.

"On second thought, let's go with the backup plan. _RUN!" _Lana yelled and made a break for it back into the building.

Sophie hopped onto the ground while Lisa didn't have time to before Lana started running and just stayed on her back instead. As she dashed past the teachers they both ducked. Good thing most of them were elderly people. She continued running on all fours through the halls, somehow running just as well as she would have bipedally and even faster.

"How are you even able to do that?" Sophie asked, running bipedally at her side.

"I was a weird kid." Lana simply replied.

"Technically, you still are." Lisa scoffed while holding onto her older sister's shoulders for dear life. She could tell that the school staff were hot on their trail, even if they probably had a bit of an advantage. However, they weren't quite there yet. She dearly hoped to keep it that way. "Hey Sophie, know of any hiding spots?!"

"Here, take the left turn!" Sophie screamed, as she herself made the turn. Lana and Lisa followed right behind as she opened one of the doors of the many in the hallway, and the two sisters ran inside. Sophie closes them all inside and they were left in clear darkness.

"Okay, I think we're safe." Sophie claimed. "For now, at least."

"What is this location?" Lisa asked, as she slowly slid off of Lana's back. "And why does it smell worse than mystery meat?"

"Because we're in the janitor's closet." She explained. "And he only comes here during the afternoon, so we're clear."

"Huh, this room is pretty neat." Lana said. She lightly tapped a large bucket in the corner that was filled with cleaning fluid and mildew. "And if this bucket wasn't so big, we could've used it as a weapon."

"Focus, now." Lisa said. "How are we going to leave now? They are hunting us out there, and it won't take long until the five of us are found."

"Maybe we could go through there." Lana said, looking up at what seemed to be an air vent. "Seems big enough for all of us to crawl inside. Kinda like Lucy used to do, and sometimes I did too."

"You mean before she made our vent system collapse and she fell with part of it through the roof?"

"That's not the point." Lana said. "Sophie, you know where this thing will lead?"

"Huh, not really…" she confessed. "Do you think it is safe?"

"No-"

"Of course it is." Lana interrupted. "I mean, what could go wrong?"

"_Why do they even continue to ask that?" _Lisa thought.

Despite Lisa not being very willing, she climbed up into the vent with Lana and Sophie helping her before they followed suit. She removed the grate, and crawled inside, sending her backpack first, so she could keep pushing. Lana followed suit, and Sophie went from behind, making sure the lights were off. It was much more cramped than Lana remembered it to be back at home, though to be fair she was much younger back then. It was also dark, barely illuminated by a dim light in the distance. There were cobwebs and dust bunnies sprinkled through nearly every corner, and it had a musky scent.

"No wonder this establishment's air is, for lack of a better word, stuffy." Lisa mumbled as she crawled through the rather claustrophobic space. "You really believe there's anything out of here?"

"Just keep crawling, Lisa. Every path leads somewhere." Lana said, as she pushed her backpack with the pets in it, at this point already awake and wondering what was going on. After crawling for a bit and struggling to make a curve to the right, Lisa stopped in her tracks once she saw a beam of light coming from the end of the vent.

"Hey, I found an opening." Lisa announced, as she sped up her crawling, not being able to wait more than necessary to get some fresh air. Lana and Sophie still right behind. She managed to get near the exit, and unfortunately it was closed by a grate.

"So, what's on the other side?" Lana asked.

"It seems that this leads to out of the boundaries of the institution." She theorized. "But the exit is closed by a grate."

"Just knock it off, then." Lana said, as she began moving besides Lisa until she made space in front of her. She then struggled to spin around so she was laying on her back and her feet were pointing towards the grate.

"It's a steel gate, Lana. How are we going to do-" Lisa was interrupted by the sound of Lana kicking it down with a few swings of her heel. A loud metal clang was heard as it clattered onto the asphalt below. "...that."

"Job's done. Let's get out now." Lana said, as she adjusted her position back to how she originally was. "Now let's get out of he- _ohh…"_

"What? What's going on in there?" Sophie asked from behind.

"There seems to be quite some… height from where we are from." Lana said.

"Great. So it means we can't make it down without getting ourselves hurt?" Lisa asked, rolling her eyes. "Well, I guess we should go back and-"

"No, absolutely not! We made it this far, and this is the first time in years that I've been able to see the outside world that isn't at the softball court." Sophie protested.

"Wait, wait!" Lana said with new excitement. "I think I have an idea. There's a garbage disposal right under us, and the thing is filled up."

"And how exactly is that supposed to help us-"

"_Wheeeee!" _Both Lisa and Sophie heard a scream, as the light that was partially blocked by Lana's body managed to fully get into their eyes, and there was no sign of her.

"Did she… did she just take a leap of faith?!" Lisa asked, perplexed.

"Are you okay?!" Sophie called from above, cupping a hand to her mouth like a makeshift megaphone. She crawled a bit forward, taking the bag where the pets should be, but at this point they left it and were crawling near Lisa.

"I'm alright!" Lana shouted back, giving them a thumbs up. She was waist-deep in the trash. "Now let's get moving. Send Charles and Cliff!"

"Uhh, so how are we going to do this with your animals? I mean, cats always land on their feet, but…"

"Not 100 percent of the time, Sophie." Lisa corrected. "And, well, we should probably put them back in the bag first." She led them back into it as quickly as she could, with some difficulty as they weren't too keen on going back into an even smaller space than the vent.

"When you're done there, just throw them down, and I'll catch 'em!" Lana exclaimed.

"But what if I miss?!" Lisa replied worriedly.

"You won't, this thing is pretty big and I'm right here!"

"Are you sure?!"

"_JUST DO IT ALREADY!"_

"_FINE!"_

Lisa took a deep breath and dropped them one at a time, Cliff first and Charles following suit. She held that breath as she heard them bark and meow in protest, her nerves tensed and eyes watching with apprehension.

"Got them!" Lana shouted, Cliff draped over her right shoulder while Charles was held in her arms like a baby.

Lisa let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Well, I'm still not completely sold on the idea of jumping down from here, but it's now or never!" She jumped down and landed in the trash next to Lana. A few pieces of trash clung to her clothes, which she brushed off with a look of disgust.

"Ugh, if only there was some scientific reason behind exploring garbage." She muttered. She made her way out of the dumpster as soon as possible, and looked up to the wall with a hole in it.

"I'll be right there with you two!" Sophie jumped down as well and managed to hit the intended target as well. She didn't seem to mind the trash as much as Lisa, but wasn't as fond of it as Lana, soon getting out as well. "Woah, that was cool… wait… are we… are we outside?"

"I… I think we are… we did-"

"Pardon me for interrupting celebration, but could we make some distance from this building?"

"Hey… where are those trucks you were talking about, Sophie?" Lana asked, looking around but unable to see any people or vehicles in the area.

"I don't think they park here." Sophie claimed. "Should we go after them?"

"Of course not. Let's just run before they find us."

And so they ran away from the desert road in which they found themselves away from the building. They ran to the end of the road and turned right, then left, then right again, stumbling across a couple cars and a few people that didn't bother with their existence. They stopped only when they reached a small hill hear the end of the road, to which they climbed and took cover on the other side.

"Okay…" Lisa said, as she placed both her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "I...think we made it."

"Yeah… we did it!" Lana cheered. "I thought we were done for, but we did… uh, Sophie, you alright?"

Lana and Lisa both faced the teen, who walked a bit forward down the hill, watching the sight of a small park filled with trees and flowers typical of the middle of spring. They couldn't see her face expression, but she did seem quite shocked, or surprised.

"So… this… this is the outside?" She asked herself. The sun was shining in the sky close to the horizon, giving her a warm feeling on her skin.

"Sophie?" Lana called again, this time approaching her, a bit concerned. "Are you doing okay?"

"Lana…" Lisa whispered, and held Lana's hand, not letting her go too close, but had a small smile on her face. "Just let her enjoy this."

Lana nodded, and took a moment to take in her surroundings as well. She smiled contently and sat down on the grass. "You know, I've missed being outside. 'Tis a shame there's no mud to roll around in, though."

"I don't know why I expected anything different from you." Lisa said. "Seems it's been ages since we've been out here… it feels good to see the outside again."

"Hey, Lana, Four Eyes!" Sophie exclaimed, going back towards them.

"It's Lisa!" Lisa exclaimed back angrily.

"Whatever." Sophie said, with a smile. "Look, uh… I was never really good with words, and, well… I'm not sure how to say this…"

"Come on, Sophie, just spit it out." Lana said.

Sophie then leaped forward, warping both of the girls in her arms. Lana returned the hug, while Lisa was in an uncomfortable position she couldn't really move her arms. "Thank you for getting me out of that place. I don't know what I'd have done without you two."

"You'd most likely spend your life there until you reach the age of 18, and afterwards work there since you have no real world ex- _ouch_!"

"What's with the 'let her enjoy the moment'" Lana said, as she gave Lisa a gentle punch on her side, before turning towards Sophie. "We're happy we made it out."

They laid down on their backs on the grass, basking in the sunlight. Lana curled up like a cat would and closed her eyes. Having to stay so much time awake did make all of the girls feel tired, so Lana quickly began snoring. The pets curled up alongside her, enjoying the heat of the sun, which wasn't as strong as the summer, but enough to keep em warmed up.

"So, this is what it feels to lay on the grass…" Sophie said to herself.

"Uncomfortable?" Lisa asked.

"No, it's just… it feels weird, but at the same time… I-it feels nice. A-and this heat… I can't remember a time I felt this… relaxed."

"Lots of things are there to help you relax. The sun, the trees, flowers… even if the world unfortunately isn't perfect, there's lots to discover."

"Really… I guess there is no heaven in here… maybe just on the other side." Sophie sighed. "Still… thanks for everything, Lisa."

"So you don't have a case of specific information amnesias!" Lisa exclaimed, ironically.

"Hey, don't force it." Sophie said, with a smile, even if Lisa couldn't see it since none of the girls bothered to lift their heads. "I guess I just owe you this after getting me out."

"Well… as simple as it may sound, I appreciate it." Lisa admitted.

Lana opened her eyes and sat back up. "So… what now?"

"I don't know…" Sophie confessed.

"Why don't we just enjoy the moment a bit more and think about what to do later?" Lisa said. "I think we all deserve a bit of a rest."

And so they stayed laid down in the grass, enjoying the warmth of the sun. While they didn't know what the future showed for them, it did seem that it would be looking brighter from now on.


End file.
